Ruling Party Rejects Offer As Assembly Flounder

The ruling and opposition parties, who had seemed poised to settle their dispute over an opposition legislator's calls for President Kim Dae-jung to step down for his remarks about the Korean War, locked horns again Friday, delaying the National Assembly's interpellation session for a third consecutive day.

The opposition Grand National Party proposed that its floor leader apologize on behalf of Representative Ahn Taek-soo, but the ruling Millennium Democratic Party refused to accept the deal, insisting that the opposition specify that the apology is for the "remarks made by Representative Ahn."

Mr. Ahn on Wednesday called on the president to resign for referring to the Korean War as a failed "attempt for unification." Mr. Ahn refused to apologize, saying he did it out of a sense of duty to his country.

"If the two camps do not reach an agreement by Monday, I will consider convening a plenary session," said Lee Man-sup, the Assembly speaker.

The contents of texts prepared by two opposition legislators added more fuel to the partisan battle. Representatives Ahn Young-keun and You Sung-keun used the initials of ruling party officials implicated in a series of scandals in their prepared texts.

Mr. Ahn had used the initial of a ruling party insider in reference to a rumor that the member of the ruling party helped Doosan, a large conglomerate, acquire the former Korea Heavy Industries, despite the acquisition requiring the company to invest more than the legal limit of 25 percent of its net assets. Mr. You mentioned the initials of ruling party legislators allegedly implicated in the recent financial scandal surrounding Lee Yong-ho as well as past financial scandals.

The ruling party said it would sue the two opposition lawmakers for libel.

On Thursday, Representative Kim Yong-kap, also a Grand National, caused controversy when he submitted the text of his interpellation papers in which he compared the Kim Dae-jung administration to a "North Korean force." He said he would drop that part from his statement.

by Lee Yang-soo