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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: lurqer who wrote (39320)	3/11/2004 11:18:07 PM
From: lurqer	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

South Korean President Is Impeached By Anthony Faiola and Joohee Cho President Roh Moo Hyun became South Korea's first leader in history be impeached on Friday, plunging Asia's fourth-largest economy deeper into a roiling political crisis and leaving South Koreans more deeply divided than at any point since the restoration of democracy in 1987. After a drama in the National Assembly as pro- and anti-Roh legislators came to violent blows before, during and after the vote, Roh's opponents secured 193 votes for impeachment -- just above the 181 needed to pass the measure. Roh faces automatic suspension from office for up to six months pending a ruling by South Korea's nine-member Constitutional Court, leaving Prime Minister Goh Kun temporarily in charge at a pivotal time. South Korea faces political chaos as the nation is struggling with a fragile economic recovery and totalitarian North Korea has vowed to become a nuclear power. "There will be major fallout from this for South Korea; impeachment will mean increased economic and political uncertainty," said Hahm Sung Deuk, a leading political analyst at Korea University in Seoul. "This is a time when we need stability, and instead, we have the opposite." For Roh, the impeachment capped months of struggle to shore up his 13-month-old administration, under fire from South Korean conservatives and business leaders for steering the nation too far away from its traditional ally, the United States, while engaging in warmer relations with North Korea and China. The onetime human rights attorney's campaign to empower the poor has led to charges that Roh launched class warfare against the rich through tax measures and government policy. The impeachment had more to do with those societal divisions -- and political angling ahead of key April 15 legislative elections -- than with the actual charges, analysts said. The key legal charge against Roh is he made statements asking voters to support the Uri Party -- made up of his core group of supporters -- something considered a minor infraction of electoral laws given that presidents in South Korea are not allowed to campaign for legislators. Roh was also accused of incompetence in leadership and connections to a swirling political corruption scandal that has hit his political opponents even harder than his own administration. Analyst says that it remained unclear whether the constitutional court would uphold the impeachment. Political experts say that South Korea's Grand National Party, the largest opposition force in control of the largest block of seats in the National Assembly -- gambled that the impeachment, even if not upheld , would at least tarnish Roh and his allies ahead of the elections. Roh is trying to expand his base in the National Assembly through the Uri Party, now a relatively small band of 47 legislators who make up his core supporters. Opinion polls have shown, however, that the Uri Party could gain ground in the upcoming elections, though the taint of Roh's impeachment could prove a significant setback. Roh, while publicly fighting the impeachment, also appeared to be hoping the attempt would backfire, causing the public to rally around him. He was given an opportunity to head off the impeachment vote. His opponents, also including the Millennium Democratic Party, the nation's second largest political force, which had once been loyal to Roh , had demanded only that he apologize for a televised remark urging support for the Uri Party. The statement was ruled to be a minor infraction by the National Electoral Commission, because South Korean presidents are not permitted to campaign during legislative elections. When Roh addressed the nation Thursday, he did apologize for corruption scandals that have rocked the nation and forced the arrest of several of his closest aides for accepting illicit funds. But he did not apologize for his call for Uri support. "The opposition is abusing this case to attack me," Roh told reporters in Seoul. "The opposition should not use it for its political maneuvering." Rather, the president offered -- as he has already done on several occasions -- to resign if the people do not support him. The president officially belongs to no party, though he has signaled his intention to join Uri, which is in line with both his domestic and foreign policies. "I want to resolve the question of whether the people trust me or not and the question of impeachment by making a bold decision according to the results of the legislative elections," Roh said. "The bold decision I will make includes the question of whether I will step down or not." Analysts, however, say the political battle underscores a dramatic schism in South Korea, a nation that now more than ever is sharply divided along ideological lines. washingtonpost.com lurqer