Lee makes fighting graft top issue

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Lee makes fighting graft top issue

Lee Hoi-chang, the presidential nominee of the Grand National Party, laid out his campaign blueprint on Thursday, saying that he would make it mandatory for politicians or political parties to report their flow of political funds to the National Election Commission. Mr. Lee said he wanted to give the central election watchdog the right to investigate suspect money flows. He committed the Grand National Party to that promise if he is elected, but did not say that it would champion such a reform if it continues as an opposition party.

Mr. Lee repeated his pledge to keep his family at arm's length from government and require them to file public reports of their assets. The reaffirmation is seen by some observers as being more definitive than a similar promise he made in a speech May 10 accepting his party's nomination. He stopped short, however, of pledging to put the asset disclosure into law; he said that such a law could be held unconstitutional.

Mr. Lee's campaign strategists said he would hammer on the theme that corruption, in particular among presidential relatives, must top the next administration's agenda.

Although the president and his wife have filed annual reports of their assets, and Mr. Kim's eldest son, Representative Kim Hong-il, also submitted one, his other two sons, Kim Hong-up and Kim Hong-gul, did not. They do not hold any government position.

Kim Hong-gul flew to Seoul on Tuesday and appeared Thursday for questioning about a graft case involving a sports lottery, Sports Toto. Kim Hong-up is expected to be questioned by prosecutors about separate bribery allegations sometime next week.

Speaking at a wholesale market in Garak-dong in southeastern Seoul on Thursday, Mr. Lee also added a new detail to his earlier proposal of an oversight agency to look into corruption allegations against the president and his family. "I will appoint an official from the opposition party to head that agency," Mr. Lee told the vendors at the market.

Mr. Lee also said that he would also make more use of the special prosecutor system. The nominee promised to send not only the names of his prosecutor-general nominee, but also the heads of the intelligence service, tax service, national police, Financial Supervisory Commission and Fair Trade Commission to the Assembly for confirmation.



by Lee Sang-il

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