Spy Cash Names Bared

A deepening prosecution probe into allegations that the Korean spy agency funneled money to politicians yielded Tuesday a list of names of politicians and the sums they allegedly received. The investigation is adding additional tension to the political war between the ruling and opposition camps.

The opposition party's spokesman, Kwon Chul-hyeon, said, "The prosecution investigation is aimed at our political death." Criticizing the prosecution for leading what it terms "a biased investigation," Mr. Kwon called for Prosecutor-General Park Soon-yong to step down. The ruling party said the politicians on the prosecution's list should be questioned thoroughly regardless of their party affiliation.

"Illegally funneled government funds should be returned to government coffers, " ruling party Chairman Kim Joong-kwon said.

Kim Jong-pil, honorary chairman of the small United Liberal Democrats which is again in coalition with the ruling party, said, "It is a grave mistake for any party to use the central intelligence agency's funds to finance elections. The case should be thoroughly looked into so that the questions held by the public can be answered."

The opposition is likely to bear the brunt of the political fallout, as the majority of the 185 suspected politicians were once members of a party that preceded the creation of the current Grand National Party. The opposition has called for a disclosure of the extent of the prosecution's work. "This case should extend to include the four slush funds of President Kim Dae-jung," a party official said.

"President Kim Dae-jung, behind his brilliant political career, had no source of income for several decades," opposition spokesman Rep. Kwon Chul-hyeon charged as he demanded that the prosecution launch an investigation into those alleged funds.

Kim Hyun-mi, the ruling party's deputy spokeswoman, lashed out against Lee Hoi-chang, the opposition leader, saying that he "uses rhetoric to change a case involving the misappropriation of government funds into a case centered on illegal slush funds."

by Kim Ji-soo