2003 budget may take a back seat to politicking

The 234th plenary session of the National Assembly opens Monday, charged with drawing up a national budget for 2003. But political observers said that with the presidential election just three months off, the two major parties will likely be more focused on trying to upstage one another than on creating a realistic budget.

Millennium Democratic Party lawmakers blocked submission of the proposed dismissal of Justice Minister Kim Jung-kil on Saturday, the deadline for putting the proposal to a vote. The MDP lawmakers physically barred Park Kwan-yong, the Assembly speaker, from entering the Assembly hall to submit the proposal to the floor.

The Grand National Party, which holds a majority in the Assembly, wanted to force a vote on the proposal. The party believes Mr. Kim is trying to discredit its presidential candidate, Lee Hoi-chang, by pushing an investigation into alleged draft dodging by his son.

Suh Chung-won, the GNP chairman, said the party would submit the proposal to dismiss Mr. Kim again during the plenary session. MDP lawmakers said they would block a dismissal vote "a thousand or ten thousand times" if necessary.

Whether Mr. Lee helped his son avoid conscription will be the main point of contention between the two parties during the forthcoming session, political analysts said. Some said the issue may even lead to the closure of the Assembly.

The MDP will do its utmost to highlight the alleged draft irregularities by questioning witnesses in standing committee meetings and on the Assembly floor, analysts said. The GNP will likely defend Mr. Lee by labeling the inquiry a political witch hunt aimed at discrediting its candidate.

The GNP has said it would consider introducing an impeachment motion against President Kim Dae-jung if he appoints another prime minister-designate. The party argues that it is unconstitutional for a prime minister-designate to start working before approval by the Assembly.

The National Assembly will investigate central government agencies from Sept. 16 to Oct. 5, followed by a televised hearing on the investigation from Oct. 7-Oct. 9. The two parties agreed to reduce the scheduled 100-day session to 70 days because of the presidential election. That would close the session on Nov. 8.

by Choi Hoon, Lee Jung-min