Kim will resign from party as scandals swell

With prosecutors investigating his sons and the boss of his party's largest faction, President Kim Dae-jung has decided to leave the ruling Millennium Democratic Party, a source close to the president said Friday.

"The president has decided to leave the party in order to focus on running the government for the remaining months of his time in office," the source said. He added, "The core ruling insiders have asked the prosecution to complete its inquiry into the three major financial scandals by the end of this month."

The scandals are collectively known as "Three Hong-gate," because President Kim's three sons all share the name "Hong." The eldest is Kim Hong-il, a ruling party legislator; Kim Hong-up is vice chairman of the now-closed Kim Dae-jung Peace Foundation for the Asia-Pacific Region, and Kim Hong-gul, the youngest, resides in Los Angeles, California.

A senior prosecutor who spoke on condition of anonymity said Friday, "The prosecution leadership has asked working-level prosecutors to wind up the investigation into the financial scandals before the start of the World Cup games on May 31." The investigation is thus picking up speed, and prosecutors said that they plan to summon the second son next week and the third son soon.

The second son, Hong-up, faces allegations that he may have received funds from Lee Yong-ho, a businessman convicted of illegal loans and stock manipulation. Son No. 3 is allegedly linked to Choi Gyu-seon, a close friend who is accused of peddling influence to help Tiger Pools International to win the rights to a national sports lottery, Sports Toto, in return for a kickback.

The source close to the president said, "The president will immediately leave his party as soon as prosecution investigations of his sons are completed, and will issue a public apology."

by Kim Chong-hyuk