Grand National Party to Make Case before National Election Commission

Regarding the recent sensation caused by the general election campaigns of The People’s Participation 0415, on January 28 the Grand National Party has decided to ask the National Election Commission whether The People’s Participation 0415, the online network People’s Power and Nosamo (a Roh supporters’ club) were involved in illegal pre-election campaigning.

That day at the party leadership meeting, Lee Sang-deok, the party’s secretary general, said that “the election campaigns of those groups are obviously a violation of law,” and made his position clear that he would “ask the National Election Commission in the name of the secretary general to take corresponding action according to the result.”

Lee pointed out that the Roh Moo-hyun government “is using measures of inducement through The People’s Participation 0415 by taking group leaders such as the provincial governors of Kyungnam, Chunbuk and Chungnam, taking members of congress from the Millennium Democratic Party, and by supporting the general election with outside organizations.”

The Grand National Party is planning to send an inquiry document to the National Election Commission as soon as it is prepared.

Meanwhile, the National Election Commission said that “if the Grand National Party asks whether or not these groups violated election law, we will investigate it according to established procedures.”

Min-Hyuk Park mhpark@donga.com