Probers want military files in draft case

The Seoul District Prosecutors Office demanded on Sunday that the Ministry of National Defense submit a computer disk that it said has information on the exemption from military service of the son of the Grand National Party's presidential candidate, Lee Hoi-chang. According to prosecutors, the disk contains documents created by military officials during a military-prosecution probe in 1998 and 1999. They were looking into allegations of draft dodging by the sons of prominent politicians at the time.

The prosecution said military prosecutors had received information relevant to the case of Mr. Lee's son from Kim Do-sul, a former military medical officer who lives in Los Angeles but has not been heard from since Thursday.

Lee Myeong-hyeon, a military official who participated in the joint task force in the late 1990s, denied that he had known the existence of the computer disk during a probe by the prosecutors office. The ministry has not confirmed whether such a disk exists or what it might contain.

In a related development, the prosecution said an analysis of a tape recording given to them by Kim Dae-eop that reportedly bears on the case was nearly completed. Mr. Kim made his first allegations about Lee Hoi-chang's son during the 1997 presidential campaign, and claimed that he had new evidence after Mr. Lee was nominated again by the Grand National Party for this December's election. Prosecutors said they had recorded the voice of Kim Do-sul over the phone and were checking it against the voice, allegedly his, on the tape. The full contents of the recording have not been made public.

Kim Dae-eop on Sunday also said he has additional tapes that would expose illegal exemptions from military service for at least three members' sons. He made no bones about his motives, saying the party had attacked him and portrayed him as unreliable.

by Chang Chung-hoon, Lee Sang-eon