Special inquest rankles

Another Blue House senior secretary has spoken out against extending the independent counsel investigation to former President Kim Dae-jung.
“It would be desirable for the independent counsel to not question former President Kim Dae-jung if it possibly can avoid it,” said Moon Jae-in, the senior secretary for civil affairs, yesterday. “I have not discussed the independent counsel meeting with President Roh Moo-hyun, but he is of the same opinion.”
“A former president should be investigated only when he is the target of public rage or guilty of a clear and evident criminality,” Mr. Moon said. “And it is the general understanding of our society that in the event of an investigation, a former president should be treated with certain respect.”
In response, the opposition Grand National Party demanded the Blue House and the governing Millennium Democratic Party stop applying outside pressure that might affect the outcome of the counsel’s investigation.
“President Roh, in particular, should not drive a wedge in public opinion by involving himself in the investigation,” said Representative Lee Hae-koo of the opposition.
Mr. Moon is the second secretary to condemn the independent counsel’s look at top-ranking figures as part of its investigation into whether money was paid to the North in exchange for the summit between Kim Dae-jung and the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il. The other is Moon Hee-sang, Blue House chief of staff, who spoke out Friday. Both secretaries’ comments come with less than two weeks left in the 70-day investigation.
The counsel today will summon Park Jie-won, a right-hand man to former President Kim.
The former president himself appeared on a current affairs program on KBS-TV yesterday, saying that he can still feel the emotion of that summit three years ago, but that the present developments have him worried and feeling down.
Meanwhile, 13 legislators from both major parties and the Grand National Party called on the administration to continue with the “sunshine policy,” and not to prosecute figures in the cash-for-summit affairs. They also demanded that Kim Jong-il visit South Korea, as part of his agreement made at the original summit.

by Kang Min-seok, Shin Yong-ho