Cries of 'Lies!' Flying

The two opposition political parties exchanged vitriolic accusations Monday over the failure of the impeachment motion against Prosecutor General Shin Seung-nam.

The main opposition leader, Lee Hoi-chang of the Grand National Party, accused the United Liberal Democrats of reneging on a promise to cooperate with the GNP on the impeachment motion. In response, 14 party officeholders of the United Liberal Democrats visited the Grand National Party headquarters to protest the remark.

In an interview with CBS Radio, Mr. Lee said, "The United Liberal Democrats' reversal of a pledge to side with [our party] on impeachment cannot happen. " He continued, "if the action was meant to express dissatisfaction that we have held a ceremony for Representative Kang Chang-hee, the action is infantile."

Mr. Kang, a former United Liberal Democrat, joined the Grand National Party on Oct. 19. The party then named him in November, to head the party's Jung-gu, Daejon, chapter, which the United Liberal Democrats took as infringement on their turf.

"We have never maintained that we would cooperate with the Grand National Party on the impeachment," shot back Kim Jong-pil, president of the United Liberal Democrats. "Mr. Lee is spinning lies to the public on live radio."

Clearly meaning Mr. Lee, Mr. Kim expressed derision that "a person who does not know parliamentary procedures, who lies effortlessly and who does not know what trust means is running to be president."

The main opposition spokesman, Kwon Chul-hyun, returned the fire. "Mr. Kim's assertion that he had never agreed to pass the impeachment motion is typical of the politics of lies," Mr. Kwon said.

Mr. Kim's remarks, coming just a day after former President Kim Young-sam's denunciation of Mr. Lee, is fueling speculation that a major political realignment is in the making. The former president said Sunday, "Mr. Lee Hoi-chang should not become president."

The attacks by two political bosses on Mr. Lee, the probable opposition presidential candidate, stirred speculation that the two and President Kim Dae-jung may try to put together a loose "anti-Lee Hoi-chang" coalition.

Within the Grand National Party, Representatives Lee Bu-young and Kim Deog-ryong called the party leadership to take responsibility for the motion's failure. The two legislators last week met with three Millennium Democrats and hammered out a joint announcement calling for reform of political parties.

Chung Jin-suk, spokesman for the United Liberal Democrats, sneered that Mr. Lee knows very well why he is being criticized as "not trustworthy."

"The people want a warm compassionate leader, not a cold-hearted elitist politician," Mr. Chung said.

The ruling Millennium Democratic Party joined in. "President Lee Hoi-chang's style of confrontation and struggle, instead of dialogue and cooperation, results only in social and political instability," said Chang Jung-hyun, vice spokesman for the party.

by Choi Sang-yeon