Controversy over Appointment of Mr. Goh as Intelligence Chief

President Roh Moo-hyun`s decision to appoint Goh Young-goo as the nations` intelligence chief amid strong opposition is creating a stir. Even the National Assembly`s Intelligence Committee said on Thursday that they deem Mr. Goh to be inappropriate. The opposition Grand National Party (GNP) is now protesting against the president` decision.

After receiving a report about confirmation hearing results from Speaker Park Kwan-yong, Cheong Wa Dae held a meeting chaired by chief of staff Moon Hee-sang. At the meeting, Cheong Wa Dae decided to appoint Goh Young-goo, a former human rights lawyer, as chief of the National Intelligence service (NIS) as scheduled. President Roh is scheduled to officially appoint him to the post around Friday.

Earlier at a meeting of presidential advisors and secretaries, the president made clear that Mr. Goh is the right man for the intelligence chief post saying, "The NIS needs a man who can put the agency on the right track. The chief should correct the functions of the agency and overhaul it to ensure its political neutrality."

However, Cheong Wa Dae said, "We did not decide to appoint Suh Dong-man, a professor at Sangji University, as chief of the NIS` planning and coordination office." Lawmakers were even more critical of Suh Dong-man, a political science professor.

"If Cheong Wa Dae does not withdraw its decision to appoint Mr. Ko as the nations` top intelligence chief, we will go to any length to prevent the appointment," Park Hee-tae, acting chairman of the GNP said. At a press briefing, GNP spokesman Park Jong-hee also said, "If Cheong Wa Dae pushes ahead with the appointment, then it could lead to a political stand-off. Our party will not cooperate in deliberation of bills."

Meanwhile, reform-mined 28 lawmakers from the ruling Millennium Democratic Party, including Rep. Kim Geun-tae and Rep. Chun Jung-bae, issued a statement in which they said that it was regrettable for some lawmakers to try to test Mr. Goh`s ideology from their cold- war- era viewpoints.

As for this, parliamentary Intelligence Committee members, including Rep. Chung Kyun-whan, Rep. Chun Yong-taek, Rep. Ham Seung-huie, retorted, "We just stressed that the NIS is a stronghold of democracy. But comparing this to McCarthyism does not make sense at all."

Jeong-Hun Kim Yeon-Wook Jung jnghn@donga.com jyw11@donga.com