GNP holds anti-gov`t rally in Daegu; denounces inter-Korean policies

The opposition Grand National Party (GNP) held a mass rally against the government Friday, demanding the introduction of an independent prosecutor to conduct the probe into the Hanvit Bank loan scandal, while the ruling Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) convened the National Assembly plenary session in the absence of the opposition party and passed a bill approving the extension of the South Korean U.N. peace-keeping contingent in East Timor in collaboration with the splinter United Liberal Democrats. The GNP, staging the "pan-national protest rally against the dictatorial Kim Dae-Jung regime," denounced the government's inter-Korean and economic policies.

Contending that the prosecution is attempting to incriminate the plaintiffs as criminals in the Hanvit loan scandal, which is far more serious than the "clothes-for-lobbying scandal," GNP president Lee Hoi-Chang renewed his demand for the appointment of an independent counsel to thoroughly investigate the case. Lee asserted that "the national economy resuscitated with sweat and blood is now in grave danger due to shabby economic polices," calling for the punishment of officials liable for disrupting the economy, President Kim's apology for the abuse of public funds and an overall review of inter-Korean policies and the people's endorsement of them. He also criticized the government's policies toward Pyongyang, claiming that the Kim administration is hell-bent on answering to Pyongyang's every whim and giving lavish amounts of assistance to the North.

However, the opposition party, in view of the people's criticism of the prolonged inter-party standoff, plans to broadly collect public views this week and hold a meeting of the party president and vice presidents early next week to decide whether to attend the Assembly session. Given this situation, it is likely that the Assembly will be normalized next week with the GNP lawmakers' return to the legislature. The ruling MDP held separate meetings of its executive committee and the general caucus of the party legislators and accused the GNP's Daegu protest rally of being an act of aberrant, ruinous and demagogic politics. At the same time, the MDP convened an informal meeting of the Health-Welfare Committee and discussed the ongoing doctors' strikes.

MDP chairman Suh Young-Hoon noted that the GNP, his party's political partner, is engaged in censuring his party and agitating the people. He went on to say that the opposition party should understand the people's desire for the Assembly to deal with urgent legislative matters concerned with public livelihood and reform bills.