Prosecutors again fail to arrest opposition member after tussle

SEOUL, Nov. 20 (Yonhap) -- Nearly 100 opposition legislators scuffled with prosecutors early Thursday, blocking an attempted arrest of a ranking party official who has been accused of taking illegal election funds.

Kim Min-seok, member of the decision-making supreme council of the main
opposition Democratic Party (DP), has been staging a sit-in protest at his party
headquarters for almost two weeks, denying the charges and accusing the
prosecution of launching a politically motivated probe against him.
DP lawmakers and party officials have been taking turns sitting with Kim to fend
off prosecutors attempting to execute the arrest warrant issued last week.
Thursday's attempt was the third try by the prosecution to take Kim into custody.
"Party officials gathered at the party headquarters predawn after learning the
prosecutors were to arrive that morning," an unnamed opposition lawmaker said.
"About ten prosecutors arrived around 8 a.m., tussling with lawmakers for a few
minutes before leaving. They failed to take Kim."
Kim, 44, is accused of receiving illicit donations worth hundreds of millions of
won from several business acquaintances ahead of the parliamentary elections in
April. A former legislator who ran unsuccessfully against President Lee Myung-bak
for Seoul mayor in 2002, Kim failed to win a National Assembly seat this year.
Prosecutors and the ruling Grand National Party have been criticizing the main
opposition party for obstructing execution of the law.
Prosecutors imposed an overseas travel ban on Kim last month and have been
tracing his money transfers since then. Kim has refused several prosecutors'
summons.
"We can't step back knowing that this is an evident oppression against a
political opponent," said Choi Jae-sung, spokesman of the main opposition party.