Get ready for Assembly battles

The National Assembly starts its 20-day hearing on hundreds of government agencies Monday. The Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee on Monday will probe the activities of the Constitutional Court over the past year, while the National Policy Committee investigates the Ministry of Government Policy Planning and Coordination and the Finance and Economy Committee looks into the Ministry of Finance and Economy.

With the presidential election only three months off the Millennium Democratic Party and the opposition Grand National Party will likely engage in a series of fierce battles in the committees over pending issues. The GNP, the majority party in the Assembly, wants to take the initiative at the forthcoming election by highlighting what it calls the mismanagement of the government.

The MDP, in turn, wants to inflict a mortal wound to the opposition party by going after alleged draft dodging by the sons of GNP presidential candidate Lee Hoi-chang.

Political observers predict that the GNP will bring up corruption allegations against several MDP lawmakers during the hearing. The MDP will try to focus on Mr. Lee's luxurious residence and his ties to Lee Suk-hee, a former deputy commissioner of the National Tax Service, who allegedly solicited illegal campaign funds in 1997 for the New Korea Party, the predecessor of the GNP. The former tax official's extradition hearing is pending in a U.S. court.

Alleged misuse of public funds to bail out insolvent firms after the 1997 financial crisis will also be a contentious point in the hearing, observers said.

Critics raised concerns that pending welfare issues may be put aside as lawmakers want to use the Assembly hearing as a pre-election showdown.

"We're having difficulty as the government and the ruling party have blocked certain witnesses from testifying and some agencies refused to submit documents," said Nam Kyung-pil, the GNP spokesman. "But we will do our best in correcting the current administration's monopolization of state affairs." Rhee Q-taek, the GNP floor leader, warned that the party would boycott the Assembly if the government attitude does not change.

Lee Nak-yon, the MDP spokesman, said the party would neutralize the GNP political attacks. He said Kim Dae-eop, a former military hospital official who raised draft-dodging allegations against Lee Hoi-chang's sons, would attend the Assembly hearing to testify.

by Kim Jung-ha