South Korea’s governing bloc on Wednesday vowed to accelerate political and economic reforms in the face of growing public criticism against the Park Geun-hye administration due to a graft scandal involving its top officials.

Governing Saenuri Party chairman Rep. Kim Moo-sung proposed high-level talks on public service pension reforms to main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy leader Rep. Moon Jae-in. President Park urged prosecutors Tuesday to use ongoing graft probes to end corruption.

The comments came amid an escalating graft scandal involving Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo and three past and current presidential secretaries among others accused of accepting illegal campaign funds from the late construction mogul Sung Woan-jong multiple times since 2007.

The governing party’s efforts to stress reforms also come a week before parliamentary by-elections on April 29 at four constituencies -- one in the nation’s southwest, another in its capital Seoul and two more in Seoul’s surrounding cities.

The Saenuri Party appeared keen to distance itself from the scandal at its campaign rallies Wednesday. Party leaders shook hands with voters in early traffic hours, emphasizing its job creation platform.

“There has been much commotion about the Sung Woan-jong scandal,” Kim said. “But we remain strong and determined in our belief that only members of the ruling party will bring more growth to these areas.”

The main opposition, on the other hand, vowed the scandal “was only getting started.”

The New Political Alliance for Democracy reiterated their calls for a parliamentary hearing on the scandal before the by-elections. Saenuri Party lawmakers have opposed the proposal and have expressed holding the hearing after the polls, apparently worried the scandal could adversely influence voter sentiments.

The Sung scandal began on April 9, when Sung claimed in an interview with a local daily to have given illegal campaign funds to officials with close ties to Park, hours before police found him dead in an apparent suicide in the woods of northern Seoul.

Prosecutors had been probing Sung, the ex-chief of Keangnam Enterprises, for allegedly swindling government subsidies. Sung had denied the allegations and called the investigations against him a witch-hunt sponsored by corrupt Park officials such as Lee.

Investigations into Sung’s claims intensified in the early hours Wednesday when prosecutors detained Park Joon-ho, a former top Sung aide, for allegedly tampering with evidence.

Park had tried to erase evidence backing Sung’s graft allegations, authorities said. Authorities also suspect Park could be withholding information on how and when Sung had allegedly given illegal campaign funds to the accused Park officials.

Prosecutors also raided the home and car of Sung’s first son in search of evidence supporting Sung’s claims. Authorities also obtained the original suicide note Sung had left at his home, hours before law enforcement found him dead.

The Saenuri Party, meanwhile, criticized the opposition’s alleged links to Sung during the Roh Moo-hyun administration. President Roh had pardoned Sung in 2005 and 2007, after the businessman had been charged with embezzlement and misappropriation of corporate funds.

By Jeong Hunny (hj257@heraldcorp.com)