By Shim Jae-yun
Staff Reporter

President Roh Moo-hyun’s dilemma over his future course of political action continues to deepen, as the prosecution on Monday announced its interim outcome of the ongoing investigation of the campaign funds raised both by the opposition parties and Roh’s camp during the presidential election in 2002.

A bone of contention has been whether the embattled head of state will abide by his earlier pledge to step down if his camp is found to have received more than one tenth of the funds collected by the opposition Grand National Party (GNP) during the electioneering.

Regrettably for Roh, however, the prosecution revealed the details of the fund-raising. It reported that the GNP had taken 84 billion won (some $70 million), while Roh’s camp had received 12.5 billion won for Roh’s camp, which means money funneled to Roh’s campaign is equivalent to one seventh of the funds collected by GNP.

When presidential spokesman Yoon Tay-young yesterday fielded questions from Chong Wa Dae media correspondents regarding Roh’s stance over the matter, he appeared perplexed and murmured for some seconds without giving an exact answer during a media briefing at the presidential office yesterday.

``It seems improper for me to talk about that here how. It would be better (for the president) to present his position at an appropriate timing,’’ he said.

Roh has said he would present his stance at an appropriate time when the prosecution wraps up its probe into the alleged irregularities involving him and his associates.

He has also been seeking to ask for the people’s confidence in him as head of state and has been planning to measure public opinion of his presidency according to the outcome of the April 15 general elections.

The prosecution’s investigation outcome has helped the opposition parties pick up further steam in their bids to launch offensives at Roh including the impeachment motion.

``We believe we have gained further momentum in pressing ahead with the impeachment,’’ a GNP lawmaker said.

GNP vice spokesman Eun Jin-soo also urged Roh to voluntarily step down, holding him responsible for the illegal fund-raising to keep his earlier pledge to leave politics.

Eun also criticized the prosecution for attempting to hide the snowballing presidential campaign funds the Roh camp allegedly received.

Roh has been complaining that it is inappropriate to treat him and Uri Party members on par with the GNP, because they have been tainted with far less corruption compared with the conservative opposition party.

jayshim@koreatimes.co.kr