Prosecutors pore over 2007 NLL transcripts

South Korean prosecutors are looking into the controversial classified transcripts of the 2007 inter-Korean summit meeting, as part of the investigation into allegations that late President Roh Moo-hyun made remarks undermining the legitimacy of the western sea border, according to prosecution sources yesterday.

After concluding that the transcripts are public records, the Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office has reviewed an abstract version of the documents on the alleged conversation between Roh and late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il during their meeting in Pyongyang six years ago, it said. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) submitted the document last month.

The investigation is to sort out the ongoing legal battle into claims and counter claims raised by parties before the Dec. 19 presidential election.

The legal dispute began when several ruling Saenuri Party lawmakers first raised allegations that Roh, a liberal, told the North’s leader that Seoul would not insist on the Yellow Sea border, called the Northern Limit Line (NLL), which Pyongyang refuses to recognize as a legitimate maritime border.

The main opposition Democratic United Party refuted the claims, sayings no such remarks were made. The liberal party then lodged accusations against lawmakers Chung Moon-hun and Lee Cheol-woo as well as Saenuri spokesman Park Sun-kyoo for spreading lies with the aim of trying to affect the presidential election. In response, Chung raised counter claims against DUP Chairman Lee Hae-chan.

The DUP also lodged accusations against the presidential security secretary, Chun Yung-woo, who said in late October that he too saw the transcript.

The DUP argued that all the documents related to the summit are restricted records that could only be checked if two-thirds of the Assembly agreed and a high court judge ordered them to be examined as part of trial proceedings. Yonhap