MDP chairman blames Kim aides for corruption

Representative Hahn Hwa-kap, chairman of the Millennium Democratic Party, said Friday that close aides of President Kim Dae-jung should take responsibility for not preventing corrupt dealings by the president's family and that they should "fall to their knees and repent their mistakes."

Mr. Hahn, whose party was founded by the president, told the National Assembly that the corruption of the president's associates stemmed from abuse of power in the name of self-interest.

Members of the MDP's Supreme Council said Mr. Hahn's remarks, while critical of close presidential aides, was not a call for punishment.

Although Mr. Hahn said he did not have specific advisers in mind, observers said Mr. Hahn's attack was aimed at Park Jie-won, Blue House chief of staff; Lim Dong-won, special presidential security adviser, and Shin Kuhn, director of the National Intelligence Service.

Mr. Hahn differed with the Blue House regarding the recent inter-Korean naval conflict in the Yellow Sea. "Further government help for the North, except for humanitarian aid and civilian-level exchanges, should be reconsidered," he said. "A nationwide consensus is urgent for the real success of the government's policy of engaging the North."

Mr. Hahn suggested that Lee Hoi-chang, the opposition Grand National Party presidential candidate, meet North Korean leaders to discuss how to bring rapprochement to the Korean Peninsula. He said the MDP is ready to cooperate on a parliamentary investigation of the alleged misuse of public funds, if the GNP agrees to renew the debt on bonds issued by the Korea Deposit Insurance Corp.

Political observers said Mr. Hahn is seeking to distance the party from the president, whom he has supported for decades. They added that his remarks may force the GNP to back down on some of its criticism of the president and the governing party.

by Kim Chong-hyuk, Lee Jung-min