The ruling Saenuri Party is likely to seek an independent counsel investigation into lingering suspicions involving a now-defunct project to build a retirement home for President Lee Myung-bak after the prosecution closed the case without charging anyone.

Rep. Hong Il-pyo, the floor spokesman of the party, told reporters that a special investigation is considered an appropriate option in most cases when a prosecution investigation is insufficient. He believes the retirement residence scandal is no exception.

The remark was the most specific yet about how the ruling party is expected to handle the scandal. A day earlier, the party’s floor leader, Rep. Lee Hahn-koo, hinted at the possibility of seeking either an independent counsel probe or a parliamentary investigation.

Hong also said that lawmakers of the party reached an understanding in a meeting earlier in the day that the prosecution’s investigation is not enough and an additional measure is needed to resolve suspicions.

A fair and objective person should be recommended as a special prosecutor, he said.

On Sunday, the prosecution said it wrapped up eight months of investigation into the case without filing charges against anyone involved, saying all suspicions in the case have been resolved. But the decision sparked a wave of public criticism.

The ruling party is concerned that the scandal, unless handled properly, could deal a blow to its chances in December’s presidential election. Lee’s term ends in February next year and his party has sought to distance itself from the unpopular leader.

The scandal centers around a deal last year to buy a plot of land in Naegok-dong on the southern edge of Seoul for a retirement home for Lee and auxiliary facilities for security personnel there.

The land was bought jointly by Lee’s son, Si-hyung, and the presidential security service.

But the cost was not shared evenly, with the security service paying too high a price for the site for the security facilities in what is suspected to be a scheme to allow the 34-year-old son to profit from buying the residence site at below-market price.

The presidential office acknowledged that it was wrong to use the son’s name in the deal but claimed it was inevitable due to security reasons because a contract bearing the name of either the president or the first lady would lead to the site’s disclosure. 

(Yonhap News)