Lee vows to drop out of contest if son avoided military service

The Grand National Party presidential candidate, Lee Hoi-chang, said on Wednesday that he will withdraw his candidacy and retire from politics if his son evaded the mandatory military service. Mr. Lee's son, Jeong-yeon, was allegedly exempted from army service for being underweight.

"I swear to God that my son, my wife and I never committed any wrong doings in our son's alleged draft-dodging," said Mr. Lee at a press conference. "My family and our acquaintances have never been involved in corruption."

Hahn Hwa-kap, chairman of the Millennium Democratic Party, said there are several witnesses who would testify that Mr. Lee's wife, Han In-ok, gave military hospital associates 10 million ($8,270) won in exchange for her son's exemption from army service.

Mr. Lee's camp said the Millennium Democratic Party is maneuvering behind the scenes, and the media is passing along false propaganda without confirmation. The battle was triggered last week after Kim Dae-eop, a former officer at a military hospital, raised new questions about the issue, which was first reported in 1997. Mr. Kim cooperated with the prosecutors regarding the allegations earlier this year. The GNP argued that a MDP lawmaker, Chon Yong-taek, coached Mr. Kim from behind the scenes.

"If the claims of the current administration turn out to be false, those who spread such rumors should retire from politics," he said.

Mr. Lee called for an unbiased investigation into the alleged draft dodging.

"The prosecutors should reveal the truth without a delay, since the current administration has looked into the case in every nook and corner for five years; the main witnesses are in Korea," he said. He said Park Young-kwan, director of 1st Special Investigation Division of the Seoul District Prosecutors Office, who is in charge of the case, should be replaced because he would not conduct a fair investigation.

Political observers said that Mr. Lee has risked everything to keep the doubts from spreading further. Party associates said that the accusations were nothing new, but the situation has caused the MDP to become more involved.

A JoongAng Ilbo poll conducted last week found that Mr. Lee's popularity had dropped by almost 10 percent compared with a survey conducted two weeks ago.

by Lee Sang-il