Chang's 2d day on the hot seat

The National Assembly on Tuesday ended two days of confirmation hearings on the nomination of Chang Dae-whan for prime minister.

Lawmakers grilled Mr. Chang on allegations of tax evasion and preferences provided by the government to his Maeil Business Newspaper at the time of last year's tax probe on media companies. Some 20 witnesses, including employees of Maeil Business Newspaper and Woori Bank, were questioned.

Lawmakers from the opposition Grand National Party argued that Mr. Chung's intimacy with Park Jie-won, Blue House chief of staff, was instrumental in reducing the penalty tax imposed on his company last year. "Maeil Business Newspaper was subject to 13 or 14 billion won [$10.8 million to $11.6 million] of tax penalty," said Ahn Taek-soo. "But it only paid 3 billion."

A GNP lawmaker, Hong Joon-pyo, questioned Mr. Chang about alleged irregularities in a loan from Maeil Business Newspaper. Mr. Hong said that the meeting records of the newspaper board -- which Mr. Chang said had approved of lending him company money -- might have been fabricated. Mr. Chang's private seal was stamped on the record instead of the usual company seal, the lawmaker said, suggesting that the record might have been improvised after he borrowed the money.

Mr. Chang, who had maintained a mild demeanor on the hearing's first day, went on the offensive Tuesday. "I have never heard that a private seal cannot be used in the record of meeting proceedings," he said. "The board of directors approved the loan in advance, and the records were not fabricated afterward."

It is uncertain whether Mr. Chang's nomination will pass the Wednesday afternoon parliamentary vote. Many members of the majority Grand National Party are strongly opposed to confirming him. They are charging that he acquired property immorally. "The hearing revealed that Mr. Chang violated numerous laws," said Suh Chung-won, GNP chairman.

The party spokesman, Nam Kyung-pil, argued that public opinion on Mr. Chang is more adverse than it was on his predecessor Chang Sang, the former university president who failed to receive parliamentary approval last month. Mr. Nam said that 75 percent of the respondents to a survey agreed that appointing Mr. Chang as prime minister would raise moral questions. The GNP polled 1,600 people immediately after Monday's hearing. Only 13 percent said there would be no problem. In a similar GNP survey conducted during Ms. Chang's confirmation hearing, 57 percent had reservations questions about her appointment and 26 percent did not.

Millennium Democratic Party executives, however, are pushing members to vote for the nominee. "Mr. Chang is straightforward and has firm convictions," said Hahn Hwa-kap, chairman of the MDP. Another party official, Sul Hoon, said, "Although allegations of tax evasion and a false address change have been raised against Mr. Chang, no one would be eligible for prime minister under such scrutiny."

by Song Sang-hoon