Kim resignation, sons' arrest sought by opposition party

Partisan wrangling over President Kim Dae-jung's three sons and their supposed roles in a series of financial corruption cases boiled over Monday, as the main opposition Grand National Party demanded that the president "step down" and the prosecution "arrest" the three sons.

The demands came after a conference at the Grand National Party headquarters in Seoul.

The opposition floor leader, Representative Lee Jae-oh, invoked a similar controversy in 1997.

"What did President Kim Dae-jung say, as then head of the opposition National Congress for New Politics, when the controversy over former President Kim Young-sam's second son Hyun-chul came to light?" Mr. Lee asked. "It is time for President Kim Dae-jung to step down and his three sons to be arrested."

The party adopted a resolution that decried what it called the corruption of the incumbent administration. It demanded that Mr. Kim issue a public apology, name an independent counsel, authorize a parliamentary hearing and break up his private research institute, the Kim Dae-jung Peace Foundation for the Asia-Pacific Region.

It asked that Mr. Kim's sons ?Hong-il, a ruling party legislator; Hong-up, vice chairman of the peace foundation, and Hong-gul, a student studying in the United States ?voluntarily appear before the prosecution. They are allegedly involved in corruption cases involving a convicted stock manipulator, Lee Yong-ho and the bidding on a sports lottery. The issues are under prosecution investigation.

The opposition announced that it would introduce a proposal to name an independent counsel, and would begin a series of outdoor rallies Friday in Yeouido. Other rallies will be in Busan and Daegu later this month.

The ruling party spokesman, Lee Nak-yon, called the opposition's statement "dangerous and irresponsible."

by Lee Sang-il