`I will Take All Responsibility and Go to Prison’

By Ryu Jin
Staff Reporter

Admitting to allegations about his leading role in raising some 50 billion won ($42 million) in illegal campaign funds last year, Lee Hoi-chang, former GNP standard bearer, on Monday presented himself to prosecutors for questioning.

During a news conference at party headquarters, the 68-year-old Lee said, ``I will shoulder the entire burden and go to prison.’’ He was flanked by GNP chairman Choe Byung-yul and other senior party officials.

Lee requested leniency for people who helped him and contributed to his campaign funds. ``I hope my sacrifice will spur the country’s political reform.’’

Lee refused to answer the barrage of questions from reporters upon arrival at the Supreme Public Prosecutor’s office.``There will be other occasions for me to speak, he said. Lee headed to the interrogation room on the 11th floor of the prosecutors’ building.

Lee’s confession is his second public appearance since Oct. 30. He has been keeping a low public profile since President Roh Moo-hyun defeated him in last year’s presidential election Dec. 19. He didn’t mention his involvement in the fundraising at the time, only saying that he would bear all responsibility if it were discovered such activity took place.

The former presidential hopeful’s decision to voluntarily undergo questioning apparently caught even top prosecutors off_guard. Ahn Dae-hui, senior prosecutor of the illegal funding scandal, gathered with Prosecutor General Song Kwang-soo for a hurried strategy session to deal with Lee’s confession.

The bold decision also comes when the prosecution is planning to bring in GNP lawmakers who served as Lee’s campaign managers. Rep. Choi Don-woong, who was to be questioned on Monday, said he would comply with the summons today.

The prosecution continued to grill Lee late into the day, but he didn’t make any statements of legal importance, prosecutors said.

Investigators said Lee, despite his pledge to take full responsibility, was unable to answer when questioned about details about his party’s fundraising.

``We are wondering whether Lee knew everything about the illegal fundraising,’’ said Moon Hyo-nam, one of the chief investigators in charge of the case, following initial questioning.

``We had the impression that he does not know well about specific details about his party’s campaign (to raise political funds.)’’

Prosecutors said assuming moral responsibility and taking legal responsibility should be considered separately, adding they would call in Lee again in the near future, after securing further evidence proving his involvement.

Leaders of the majority-opposition GNP have pressured Lee and the former leadership to take action so as to steer clear of potential potholes in the lead-up to the general elections slated for April 15. Roh said on Sunday he would put his job on the line, betting that any illegal funds his camp collected were not more than one-tenth of those gathered by the GNP.

Nicknamed ``Mr. Bamboo,’’ symbolizing upright character with unbending principles, the former Supreme Court justice led the opposition GNP for more than six years. He ran for the presidency in 1997 and 2002, but lost both close contests, successively beaten by Kim Dae-jung and Roh.

Lee, who retired from politics right after the last election, has been under increasing pressure from the GNP and its rivals, as well as the public, as state prosecutors have revealed huge sums of money had been funneled into the Lee camp’s coffer just before the 2002 election. According to the prosecution probe so far, the GNP raised some 50.2 billion won from the nation’s four largest business conglomerates including Samsung and LG, while the Roh camp accepted about 840 million won.


jinryu@koreatimes.co.kr