[EDITORIAL] Probe of Politicians Unavoidable

Allegations of wrongdoing surrounding the so-called 'Chung-gate' scandal were amplified by the National Assembly hearings. Mr. Chung Hyun-joon and Ms. Lee Kyung-ja, as witnesses before the House Steering Committee, said many things that had not appeared previously in the prosecution's briefings.

Mr. Chung attracted a great deal of attention by mentioning the names of Mr. Kwon No-gap, a prominent member of the Millennium Demo-cratic Party, and Rep. Kim Hong-il, son of President Kim Dae-jung. He said that Ms. Lee referred to them as two of her many powerful connections.

Ms. Lee denied the allegation, and there is no way now to determine which of them is telling the truth. But the contradicting testimony suggests that the prosecution's explanation of the incident as a purely financial fraud may be inadequate. It is true that, even if Mr. Chung told the truth, it does not follow that the persons he mentioned will be incriminated.

But since there has been talk about this possibility, the prosecution should do its best to uncover the truth.

The ruling party has been accusing opposition lawmaker Lee Ju-young of libel for revealing the names of four MDP members, including the two in question. Now it has become evident that there was already talk about the involvement of some of them in this scandal. The ruling party should therefore immediately stop its unreasonable attack on Mr. Lee.

Mr. Chung also mentioned the name of a former director of the Financial Supervisory Service, Mr. Lee Yong-geun. He said Mr. Lee was one of the targets of Ms. Lee's lobbying and at one point there was talk of inviting him as a Korea Digital Line chairman. Mr. Chung's testimony does not provide direct evidence of Mr. Lee's involvement, but it certainly hints at it. If this hint turns out to have any basis in truth, it will damage the moral credibility of the whole administration.

Mr. Lee's departure right after the disclosure of the incident makes him look especially suspicious. He should return immediately and explain his position.