By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
A team of the Grand National Party (GNP) Friday announced that its two leading presidential contenders were cleared of the suspicion over their alleged wrongdoings, including questionable wealth accumulation and tax evasion.
The interim announcement came after its committee screened all allegations on former Seoul Mayor Lee Myung-bak and former GNP Chairwoman Park Geun-hye. The panel said the two are free of charge from speculative activities in real estate and tax evasion.
But the pro-government Uri Party and other parties criticized the announcement.
``The people are watching how the GNP handles these critical issues and they will not sit back if the GNP continues like this,'' Uri Party spokeswoman Suh Hae-suk told The Korea Times. The spokesperson added the GNP panel has limitations.
She said the party would monitor the final report to be released later.
Rep. Suh said the Uri Party would not set expectation high over future activities of the in-house body, but it will take adequate measures against the GNP if it repeats these kinds of lackluster activities.
A few lawmakers of the Uri Party attacked Lee and Park during the recent parliamentary session.
Rep. Kim Hyuk-kyu said Lee's family has changed residency 15 times since 1969 and claimed that his phony address registrations were designed for property speculation.
Following the attack, Lee apologized to the public but denied the allegation that the frequent changes of addresses was for real estate speculation. Lee said his residency change was to help his children to get quality education at prestigious schools.
The GNP watchdog said the Uri Party raised the suspicion not based on facts, but on speculation.
``We've found that Lee's explanation was true,'' said Rep. Lee Ju-ho of the committee.
Rep. Lee said the former Seoul mayor's family changed addresses 24 times since 1969 but the changes have nothing to do with speculation.
The Uri Party also claimed that Park Geun-hye dodged taxes between 1995 and 1999 when she served as chairwoman of a scholarship foundation.
The party's committee said it found no evidence for the claim. But it acknowledged Park made a technical mistake in her delay of a payment of a national health insurance premium.