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Candidate Lee Hoe-Chang Spoke out in Kwanhun Club

Posted May. 23, 2002 09:07,   

한국어

Presidential candidate of the Grand National Party (GNP) Lee Hoi-Chang said on May 22, `If I assume the presidency, I will survive the joint declaration in spirit and principle, but I will not pass over the second article of the declaration that should be reconsidered,` referring to the second article of the June 15 joint declaration agreed on during the inter-Korean summit, which admitted a common ground between confederation and federation system.

The answer of candidate Lee came during a panel interview of the Kwanhun Club, a fraternity of senior journalists, when Lee was asked whether he would `survive the second article of the joint declaration between North and South as the Pyungyang Broadcasting claimed that the article meant South Korea agreed to the federation system.`

The second article of the joint declaration contended, `We consider the confederation proposal of South and the low level federation of North have a common ground and aims for unification toward this direction,` which has caused a lot of dispute since the specific meaning of the common ground is unclear.

To a question whether candidate Lee meant abolition when he mentioned reviewing the article, Lee replied, `This issue has never been raised before between the two leaders since the inter-Korean summit, and I would like to see the article abolished when North Korea insists on implementing the article as it is.`

Candidate Lee revised his comment at the end of the session as the panel wanted to reconfirm whether he would abolish the article, `I mean that I would get the consent of the people in abolishing the article,` but Lee made clear that he would not accept the second article, `No incumbent president would ever follow suit when North Korea leads toward the federal government based on the second article.`

Along with this, candidate Lee said, `I have not demanded the apology on the past history as a precondition for the visit of North Korean defense committee chairman Kim Jeong-Il, but I think we should have some kind of apology from him on the war or terror issues for a reliable confidence building between North and South.`

He favored a conditional permit on Mt. Keumgang Tourism business, `If the opening of the land based tourism and the designation of the special region for tourism that North side agreed on are implemented, I would allow the tourism to continue since the profitability may improve, otherwise, I can not allow to do so.`

Candidate Lee raised the necessity of an independent counsel in relation to the graft scandal investigation on sons of President Kim Dae-Jung, `The prosecution is doing fine, but I have a doubt whether it would conduct a fair investigation as strict as the people want.`

Candidate Lee also said, `I have no intention of using or utilizing major figures in the three Kim`s politics, but I am ready to align to anybody toward a broad coalition for the change of the administration.`

In relation to the tax evasion investigation against the press, he claimed, `Several presses that underwent the tax investigation last time showed a lot less amount of tax evasion than the figure claimed by the National Tax Office,` and added, `To make the press serve the regime in the excuse of tax evasion is the oppression against the press.`



In-Soo Song issong@donga.com