Kim Young-sam Assails Questioning of 2 Aides

Former President Kim Young-sam said Sunday that the prosecution's questioning and eventual release of two of his former secretaries reaffirms that the ongoing prosecution inquiry is a ploy to gain politi-cal revenge staged by President Kim Dae-jung, his former ally and then rival in the fight against authoritarian govern-ments. "This shows that there is no dirt to be dug up and that the investigation is entirely politi-cal revenge," Kim Young-sam said.

He made the comments after being briefed on the release of the two former sec-retaries, Lee Won-jong and Hong In-kil. Prosecutors, investigating the alleged illegal transfer of the spy agency's funds to the for-mer president's ruling camp, asked the two to appear volun-tarily for questioning - Mr. Lee on Friday and Mr. Hong on Sat-urday. Both were allowed to return home Sunday.

A major question in the investigation into the alleged funneling of 119.2 billion won ($93 million) to the now-defunct New Korea Party short-ly before the 1996 general elec-tions is whether Mr. Kim and his son, Hyun-chul, were involved or tacitly approved the illegal transfer. Mr. Kim lashed out at the prosecution's request that his former aides appear voluntarily rather than by summons. The request, carried out without an official subpoena, amounts to "an investigation through ille-gal abduction. This cannot take place in a country governed by the rule of law."

"The Kim Dae-jung admin-istration should not think that what happened in the Philip-pines cannot happen here," he said through his personal spokesman, Rep. Park Chong-ung of the opposition Grand National Party. He was referring to the protest that gathered power over the past few months in that country, driving the president of the Philippines from office.

by Lee Soo-ho