Slim Hopes for Would-Be Candidates

Legislators with cases pending in the Supreme Court on election law violations during the April 13, 2000 general election will likely not be eligible to run in the October 25 special elections, the National Election Commission said Thursday.

Six opposition and ruling party legislators currently await Supreme Court rulings that could take away their National Assembly seats. The commission said they will not be eligible even if they resign before registration of candidates for the special election begins October 9.

The Election Commission's decision is likely to dash the hopes of three lawmakers who were expected to run in the special elections. The elections were called to fill seats from the Dongdaemun B and Guro B election districts, which were left vacant by legislators ousted for election law violations. Kim Ho-il and Choi Don-woong, both of the opposition Grand National Party, and Jang Sung-min of the ruling Millennium Democratic Party were expected to run for those vacant seats.

If the Supreme Court finds them guilty by October 8, the three will not be able to run in the October 25 elections.

However, the commission did leave some room for the legislators to maneuver. If there is no ruling from the court by October 8, the lawmakers can resign their current posts on October 9 and register for the special elections. Their only other hope is to be exonerated by the court and then resign their current seats.

Political watchers forecast that the lawmakers will drag their feet in order to keep the court from ruling before October 8.

The nation's appeals courts have been coming down hard on election law violations that took place during last year's general elections, either fining or removing from office seven lawmakers. Those dismissals caused the government to call the special election.

Political analysts will be keeping a close eye on the October elections, although only a handful of seats will be up for grabs, as they are expected to affect the narrow advantage held in the 273-seat National Assembly by the ruling coalition. The ruling party, the United Liberal Democrats and the Democratic People's Party control 137 seats while the principal opposition party holds 133.

by Ko Jung-ae