'Evil' roils the Assembly

Representative Song Sok-chan of the ruling Millennium Democratic Party set a harsh tone Monday, the first day of the first parliamentary hearings of the year, referring to President George W. Bush of the United States as an incarnation of evil, as he fired broadsides at the main opposition leader, Lee Hoi-chang.

The legislator, who had initially held firm to his position, later issued an apology after a reprimand from the presidential office.

"I used inappropriate language regarding President Bush's North Korea policy in the process of criticizing Mr. Lee's tendency toward North Korea and the affairs of the Korean people," Mr. Song said.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Song, in a text distributed before his speech at the National Assembly asked whether "the government has the will to eliminate the root of evil, Lee Hoi-chang, who is attempting to ride the bandwagon of the 'avatar of evil,' Mr. Bush, who is trying to solidify the division of the Korean Peninsula."

In his apology, the legislator said his avatar reference to Mr. Bush was wrong, departing briskly without taking any questions from reporters.

Mr. Song did not make the avatar reference during his speech, but in an interview after his address, he stuck to his text.

The legislator's remarks and the text he distributed sent the floor into chaos, with the Millennium Democrats and opposition Grand National Party members engaging in a brief scuffle.

The Blue House attempted to defuse the controversy later in the afternoon. "President Kim Dae-jung has strongly reprimanded the Millennium Democratic Party's leadership over Mr. Song's wording," a Blue House official said.

The official added that the Blue House was unaware of the content of Mr. Song's speech before the text was distributed and said, "It is not appropriate behavior for a National Assembly member to make such a remark, especially just before a visit by the leader of an ally."

"It was an inappropriate comment," said the party spokesman, Lee Nak-yon. "Mr. Song's remarks are his personal opinion, not that of the party."

by Kim Chong-hyuk