Chang faces land question

As the newly appointed prime minister, Chang Sang, faces what is expected to be a tough confirmation hearing at the National Assembly, a new poll found that a majority of respondents have questions about her qualifications.

The JoongAng Ilbo conducted a telephone poll Saturday of 1,045 adults nationwide; 61.4 percent of the participants said the National Assembly should question Ms. Chang about issues involving her and her son before approving her appointment. Since her appointment Thursday, Ms. Chang has been criticized for her son's U.S. citizenship and a misstatement of her academic background.

Ms. Chang's eldest son gave up his Korean nationality and later was exempted from military service here. The son, however, has benefited from the national health insurance.

The prime minister-designate explained as a translation mistake the misinterpretation of where she received doctoral degree -- Princeton Theological Seminary, not Princeton University.

According to the poll, 21 percent said the National Assembly should approve Ms. Chang's appointment because the controversies are trivial; 10.8 percent said they were serious enough to disqualify her.

Ms. Chang was criticized again Sunday for an alleged real estate speculation. With five other professors at Ewha Womans University, Ms. Chang jointly owns 42,900 square meters (13,000 pyeong) of land in Yangju-gun, Gyeonggi province. "I purchased the land in 1988 with my fellow professors to build a welfare facility for the elderly and spend my declining years there," acting Prime Minister Chang said Sunday. "We paid 30 million won [$25,424] each. The rumor of real estate speculation is false."

The Prime Minister's Office said the land is worth about 250 million won based on the government appraised standard price. "The land is inside the restricted military zone and transactions are rarely permitted there," Kim Duk-bong, the spokesman for the Prime Minister's Office's, said.

Real estate appraisers disagree. "The land would probably be worth 700 million won if sold now," a realtor said.

The Grand National Party attacked Ms. Chang, questioning as "suspicious" her personal connection to the first lady, Lee Hee-ho. Another GNP official, Kim Moo-sung, questioned the woman prime minister's ability Friday, citing her possible lack of understanding of defense issues. The next day, Mr. Kim apologized for the remark.

by Ahn Boo-keun, Song Sang-hoon