Roh to ask for political disclosures again today

President Roh Moo-hyun will hold a press conference this morning to press his proposal that the ruling and opposition parties both make public their political fund-raising accounts. Yoon Tai-young, the Blue House spokesman, said the press briefing will take place at the Blue House at 11 a.m.
“Mr. Roh is concerned that his suggestion of disclosing the details of political funds that his chief of staff presented to lawmakers has become a subject of a political strife,” Mr. Yoon said yesterday in explaining the hasty summons. Mr. Roh brushed aside a question on the matter yesterday at his press conference with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Mr. Roh proposed Tuesday that both major parties open their books on funding for the December 2002 presidential election campaign. The call came after the Millennium Democratic Party chairman, Chyung Dai-chul, suggested that his party may have spent much more on the campaign than they reported to the election commission.
The opposition rejected the call, and some civic groups supported them at least in part by demanding that the ruling party, which made a point of its grass-roots fund-raising, go first in opening its books.
“President Roh will urge again that the both parties come clean about the presidential election fund-raising. He will also provide his thoughts on the limits and the scope of the disclosures,” Mr. Yoon said. “He will also offer a direction to improve fund-raising for politics in the future.”
Mr. Roh, observers said, will probably ask politicians to make public the amount spent during their presidential primary elections and the money spent before the official election campaign period. Mr. Roh will also urge the two parties to present publicly a breakdown of election funds that has already been filed to the National Election Commission. Mr. Roh will reportedly propose that the election commission verify the accuracy of the information.
“It remains unchanged that the ruling and the opposition parties must come clean together,” a senior Blue House source said, “but, the Millennium Democratic Party may go first if the two sides agreed to make the disclosures.”

by Choi Hoon, Kim Sung-tak