Verbal Attack By Lawmaker Adds Twist to Press Inquiry

The confrontation between the ruling Millennium Democratic Party and the main opposition Grand National Party over an inquiry into alleged tax evasion by six newspaper companies took a new turn Friday after reports that a ruling party lawmaker unleashed a verbal attack on two major dailies and the opposition leader.

According to the Chosun Ilbo, Representative Choo Mi-ae, a second-term lawmaker and a former aide to President Kim Dae-jung, used an obscenity in referring to the newspaper Thursday night after a meeting of the ruling party's junior legislators.

The Chosun Ilbo report says Ms. Choo also verbally attacked a Dong-a Ilbo reporter, complaining about an article critical of her.

She referred to the opposition leader, Lee Hoi-chang, by his name rather than his title, the Chosun Ilbo article says, a sign of disrespect.

"The ill will Ms. Choo always harbored toward the opposition party and certain newspapers came out when she was drunk," said Chung Doo-un, deputy spokesman for the opposition Grand National Party.

Representative Lee Won-hyung of the Grand National Party compared Ms. Choo to Jiang Qing, the wife of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong, who sought to squelch criticism of the Communists during the Cultural Revolution.

Jeon Yong-hak, the ruling party spokesman, said he was disappointed that certain newspapers reported Ms. Choo's "private" remarks, but added it was an indication that the freedom of South Korea's press is thriving.

Ms. Choo's office issued an apology Friday for the "harsh remarks toward certain newspapers."

by Noh Jae-hyun