Kim backs down on spending furor<\/p>\n
SEOUL (Reuter): South Korea's beleaguered President, Kim
\nYoung-sam, bowed to public pressure yesterday and agreed to make
\na national address on the explosive issue of his 1992 election
\nspending.<\/p>\n
Last week Kim had appeared to rule out any public statement,
\nbut his refusal to comment sparked public outrage and veiled
\ncalls for his resignation.<\/p>\n
Opposition parties allege that his campaign was partly
\nbankrolled by the scandal-hit Hanbo Group and far exceeded legal
\nspending limits. On Monday, they demanded parliament organize an
\nindependent inquiry, and called on Kim to apologize.<\/p>\n
A presidential Blue House spokesman said Kim would make a
\nstatement on Friday.<\/p>\n
\"The national address will deal with the election fund issue,
\nbut don't try to guess the exact content,\" an aide to spokesman
\nYoon Yeo-joon quoted him as saying.<\/p>\n
Kim was quoted as saying last week that campaign finance
\nrecords no longer existed, and that raking up the issue would
\nonly drag the country into deeper turmoil.<\/p>\n
Kim called on all political parties to show \"apologetic
\nfeelings\" for past abuses, and work to reform the system.<\/p>\n
Angered by those comments, opposition leaders warned that
\nSouth Koreans might demand his resignation, without themselves
\ncalling on him to step down.<\/p>\n
Political analysts said an apology for alleged over-spending,
\nand a statement on where the cash came from, may be the only way
\nfor Kim to save his presidency.<\/p>\n
A newspaper poll yesterday showed 83.3 percent of South
\nKoreans insisted Kim must reveal how much he spent on getting
\nelected, a move that analysts said could shred his remaining
\ncredibility, but stave off demands for his resignation.<\/p>\n
The same survey in the Dong-a Ilbo indicated that 65.1 percent
\nof Koreans were against the president stepping down.<\/p>\n
The collapse of Hanbo's steelmaking unit in January uncovered
\na web of corruption involving top aides to Kim and his son, Kim
\nHyun-chul, who was arrested this month.<\/p>\n
The president apologized on television in February for the
\nbehavior of his son, and said he felt shame.<\/p>\n
Spending limits for presidential candidates in 1992 were set
\nat 36.7 billion won (US$41.2 million).<\/p>\n
Allegations that Kim Young-sam's campaign took money corruptly
\nfrom businessmen are particularly damaging to the president, who
\ninitiated moves to jail his two immediate predecessors on similar
\ncharges.<\/p>\n
Shin Myung-soon, a professor of politics at Yonsei University,
\nsaid the president had no choice but to apologize. Yet the move
\nwas fraught with danger.<\/p>\n
\"If Kim apologizes over the election funds, there is a danger
\nthat his opponents may take it further and demand a full
\ninvestigation,\" he said.<\/p>\n
An editorial in the Chosun Ilbo, South Korea's leading
\nnewspaper, said Kim should \"first address the people and explain
\nthe past situation of the election funds\".<\/p>\n
\"We all know that a detailed account of the election funds is
\nlike an atomic bomb,\" the editorial added. \"It could deal a fatal
\nblow to Kim's credibility and his morality.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/kim-backs-down-on-spending-furor-1447893297",
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