The ruling Saenuri Party said Thursday it has seen government records backing up allegations that late South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun tried to nullify the de facto maritime border separating the two Koreas, a move that is seen as undermining South Korea's sovereignty.
The controversy centered on allegations that Roh, who stepped down in early 2008 at the end of a single five-year term, had tried to nullify the so-called Northern Limit Line (NLL) during an inter-Korean summit in 2007 with then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.
The allegations stirred up controversy ahead of last December's presidential election because the then main opposition candidate, Moon Jae-in, had served as Roh's chief of staff when Roh allegedly made the remarks.
The ruling party claimed that Roh's remarks amounted to a denial of South Korea's sovereignty as North Korea does not recognize the border and demands the line be redrawn farther south.
"In accordance with the public record law, I formally asked to see ex-President Roh's remarks related to the NLL at the National Intelligence Service (NIS) archives and examined them with lawmakers on the parliamentary intelligence committee," the ruling
party lawmaker Suh Sang-kee, the committee chairman, said at a press conference at the National Assembly.
"(The results) were the same as the conclusion reached twice by the prosecution," he said. "Now that the truth has been revealed, the (main opposition Democratic Party) will have to take responsibility for lying to the people that there were no such remarks made."
Suh also threatened to disclose all the minutes recording Roh's remarks on the NLL if the opposition party continues to evade responsibility over the issue. (Yonhap News)
