[EDITORIAl] Don't Go Crying to the Courts

National politics is adrift because of politicians who do not know what politics is all about. By whatever definition, compromise is a basic concept in politics, but our politicians are engaged in an ugly struggle, filing complaints against each other with the prosecution because they cannot handle their own affairs, let alone compromise and listen to various interests and opinions in our society.

Since the Lee Yong-ho scandal was disclosed at hearings of the National Assembly, there have been too many complaints filed to keep track. In particular we cannot see anything remotely close to politics in the ruling party's attitude after the name of the president's son, Kim Hong-il, came to light. Immediately after a lawmaker of the opposition party uttered the name, the Millennium Democratic Party reacted with rage, threatening to limit the immunity of lawmakers for their statements made in the Assembly. The police unreasonably raided the provincial office of the Grand National Party in Jeju. Despite the Jeju District Court's refusal to issue detention warrants, the MDP filed complaints against the two men on different charges.

Such actions are not appropriate. They are no more than a display of blind loyalty to the president by protecting his son or a counterattack on the opposition party in connection with Thursday's by-elections.

As we have said before, we would not defend disclosures without foundation. But this rush to the prosecution to complain about rival politicians' remarks as soon as they are made is unproductive. Politicians who rely on the judiciary, not themselves, to solve political disputes make the people feel less secure that national management is in good hands. Many senior prosecution officials have had to resign because of alleged involvement in this or that scandal. People have no trust in the prosecution; it is doubtful whether it can investigate politically-tinged cases without bias. Politicians should solve their problems in the political arena, not the courts.

Relying on the judiciary is an admission that politicians are not up to standards. Now come threats of libel suits against the press, perhaps another attempt to gag them. The shortcut to political stability is to find out why things got this bad and work hard to put them right.