Nobel lobby bid alleged

President Kim Dae-jung lobbied intensively for the Nobel Peace Prize he won in 2000 for securing that year's inter-Korean summit, opposition-party lawmakers charged Thursday.

The claims were first raised by Newsweek Korea, which reported that Choi Gyu-seon, a businessman convicted of bribery, at least two years before the summit had compiled a document called "Project M" to increase President Kim's chances of winning the Nobel Prize. The document, also known as the "Blue Carpet Project," said that presidential aides should lobby the Nobel Committee and the Swedish Academy.

The report suggested organizing an international group spanning Europe, Africa and Asia, while keeping a low profile in Korea. Newsweek reported that Mr. Choi retained the chief lawyer of Saudi Arabia's Prince al-Walid and put some of his proposals into effect.

In April 1998, the lawyer reportedly advised Mr. Kim to win at least three or four other human-rights awards presented by the likes of the United Nations and Harvard University. President Kim won the Human Rights Award from the International League for Human Rights in June 1998.

Lee Jae-oh, a lawmaker from the Grand National Party, added a fresh allegation at the Assembly Thursday.

"In return for winning the Nobel Peace Prize," Mr. Lee said, "the government gave preference to a Swedish-Norwegian corporation in acquiring a transport ship made by Hyundai Merchant Marine" -- the company accused of funneling the money to North Korea as payment for the summit.

Mr. Lee added that the Blue House chief of staff, Park Jie-won, orchestrated the scheme outlined by Mr. Choi. The lawmaker said that some of the 1.56 trillion won ($1.3 billion) Hyundai Marine got for selling the ship went to repay the 400 billion won loan the com-pany allegedly used to pay the North.

The Grand National Party chairman, Suh Chung-won, suggested launching a campaign to return the Nobel Peace Prize. "I feel ashamed and disgraced," Mr. Suh said. Kim Young-iel, the party's secretary general, demanded that the president make a confession, apologize and disclose the source of funds that were used to lobby the Nobel Committee and his lobbyists. He also asked the president to decide whether to return the prize.

The Blue House reacted strongly. "I can no longer endure groundless slanders," said Mr. Park, the chief of staff. "The Nobel Peace Prize is not the kind of award you can get by lobbying." He said he is considering options to recover the dignity of the Blue House.

"Some politicians and groups have raised such claims before," Mr. Park said. "Some said they would go [to Norway] to launch anti-rallies against the president's winning the prize, which invited international contempt." The head of the Nobel Committee said that Korea was a strange country with so many people lobbying against their president winning the prize, Mr. Park said. He blamed the press for reporting an unconfirmed document as if it were true.

by Ko Jung-ae, Kim Chong-hyuk