First family deals with son's plight

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First family deals with son's plight

President Kim Dae-jung and first lady Lee Hee-ho were at the Blue House on Thursday when their youngest son reported to the prosecutors office.

The president looked dejected as Ms. Lee wiped away her tears. Mr. Kim had vowed after winning the 1997 presidential election that his family members would never use his position for their personal gain. He had attacked his predecessor, Kim Young-sam, for not reining in his son, who was convicted of accepting bribes. He is facing similar criticism now, though no formal charges have been filed against his youngest son, Kim Hong-gul.

Ms. Lee was reportedly overwhelmed by the inquiry into her son's affairs, which prosecutors said could lead to his arrest.

Mr. Kim went about his daily business despite his son's ordeal. He was briefed by the head of the presidential committee for small and midsized firms shortly after Hong-gul reported to the prosecutors office. Later, he examined the sales of World Cup admission tickets.

"The president has apologized many times to the people for the alleged illegal dealings committed by his two sons," said Park Sun-sook, the Blue House spokeswoman. "They are accepting the possible arrest of their son in a calm manner and vowed to focus on managing state affairs."

Blue House sources said Mr. Kim would likely apologize to the nation again if his second son, Kim Hong-up, is summoned by the prosecutors.

Although Kim Hong-gul was his parents' only child (the president had two sons from a first marriage), he was his parents' favorite. But he had a troubled childhood because of the hardships his father faced as a democracy movement leader. The president nearly died when he was kidnapped and was imprisoned when Hong-gul was a middle school student. He was sentenced to die when his youngest son was in high school.

Kim Hong-gul graduated from Korea University with a major in French language and literature in 1993. He received a master's degree in international politics from the University of Southern California and was, until recently, enrolled in a doctoral program.

His acquaintances said Mr. Kim was deeply hurt when he was bullied in school and called "son of a communist." They added that Mr. Kim may have found it difficult to refuse Choi Gyu-seon, a businessman at the center of the recent corruption scandal.

by Chun Young-gi

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