The Korea Herald

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Parties dispute ethics of mayoral candidates

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Published : Oct. 11, 2011 - 17:45

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Parties clashed Tuesday over the ethical records of Seoul mayoral candidates Na Kyung-won of the Grand National Party and unified liberal Park Won-soon.

The GNP focused its attacks on Park’s family registration records, denouncing him for allegedly evading military duty through false family records.

Park was adopted at age 13 by his father’s uncle, which the ruling camp claimed was an attempt to avoid later service in the Army.

It also criticized the Beautiful Foundation, a non-profit welfare organization formerly led by Park, for taking donations from conglomerates whose goverenance it had attacked.

The DP and the liberal bloc, however, accused the ruling party of mud-slinging, despite Na’s earlier pledges to focus on policies.

“The foundation took a total of 14.8 billion won ($12.7 million) from 11 firms over the past 10 years,” said Rep. Kim Seong-tae of the GNP.

“It should be named a small-sized conglomerate, rather than a civic group.”

Kim also said that Park’s daughter’s scholarship should be reviewed as it may be an indirect form of corporate donation to the civic activist.

“The role of civic groups is to supervise and criticize the political circles,” said Rep. Lee Sung-hun, another GNP lawmaker.

Opposition lawmakers lauched counter allegations of financial and military irregularity by ruling party officials.

“The GNP is insulting its own name by asking for a thorough check of Park’s moral values and military service,” said Rep. Lew Seon-ho of the DP. Lew pointed out that most key ruling party members, including President Lee Myung-bak and Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik, were exempted from military duty.

“The ruling party went overboard, accusing a 13-year-old boy of having changed his family relation with the aim of avoiding his military service,” said Lew.

The DP also brought up the issue of President Lee’s retirement home.

“GNP Chairman Hong Joon-pyo and mayoral candidate Na Kyung-won said the retirement house of former President Roh Moo-hyun was extravagant,” said Rep. Moon Hak-jin of the DP.

“History, however, will remember that Lee’s house was three times more expensive than Roh’s country house.”

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)