Legislator called model for others

The revelation by Representative Kim Keun-tae of the ruling Millennium Democratic Party that he violated election laws by not reporting a large political donation has spurred calls for other politicians to come clean.

Mr. Kim, who said he did not report 240 million won ($181,000)in donations to the National Election Commission, was lauded for his bravery and as an example for other politicians.

"We hope Mr. Kim's confession will lead to confessions by other politicians, providing a watershed for the nation's politicians to be free of the yoke of illegal political funding," Park Won-sun, a lawyer, and the Reverend Park Hyeong-gyu, said in a joint statement.

"We should not strictly apply the law when politicians come forward with their unclean pasts," said Kim Suk-joon, a professor at Ewha Womans University. "We should be more understanding so that the political sector as a whole can purge itself."

"It is a fact that Mr. Kim violated the Political Fund Act, but if we persecute him, how can any other politicians come forward?" said Ahn Kyong-whan, a professor at Seoul National University and the chairman of the Korean Constitutional Law Association.

But many Millennium Democrats criticized Mr. Kim for the disclosure, calling his move "untimely and unprofessional." They also questioned the origins of money received by the leader of the main opposition Grand National Party, Lee Hoi-chang.

"Mr. Lee rents two upscale villas in Gahoe-dong, Jongno-gu, for 200 million won a year each," said Representative Sul Hoon of the ruling party. "One of the villas is for his eldest son's family, even though they live in the United States. They must require several hundred million won for monthly living expenses in America."

The opposition party spokesman, Nam Kyung-pil, countered that Mr. Lee's villa is "provided by Mr. Lee's eldest son's in-laws, and the other villa is owned by a cousin who rents it out to Mr. Lee's son."

The opposition asked whether Kwon Roh-kap, who Representative Kim Keun-tae said gave him 20 million won during the party's convention in August 2000, gave money to other ruling party legislators.

by Ko Jung-ae