South Korea president files libel suit against foe

SEOUL, Sep 6 (Reuters) South Korea's presidential office will file an unprecedented libel suit against an opposition candidate, who accused the government of launching a politically motivated probe against him, an official said today.

Supporters of President Roh Moo-hyun and Lee Myung-bak, the candidate from the main conservative party who is the front runner to win the December presidential election, have been trading barbs over a land deal in the mid-1990s.

The presidential office is suing Lee's camp for what they say are groundless statements claiming the president was behind a probe into the land deal by Lee's relatives.

''The presidential Blue House's secretary's office will not stay silent to the dirty actions of candidate Lee Myung-bak and the Grand National Party, which engage in false assertions,'' it said in a statement.

Prosecutors have not clearly explained why the investigation of a 12-year-old scandal involving Lee's relatives should have become public in the weeks before Lee was battling to win the Grand National Party's primary election.

Since Lee's victory last month, there has been almost no mention of the prosecutor's case.

A presidential spokesman said Roh endorsed the suit and local media said it was the first time a sitting president had sued the leading opposition presidential candidate.

The Grand National Party said the suit was an electioneering ploy by Roh to help bolster the pro-government, left-wing camp. Lee's support rate is 40 percentage points higher than that of the top candidate from the left.

''Suing the presidential candidate just ahead of the elections is political oppression that did not even exist during our country's past military dictatorships,'' GNP spokeswoman Na Kyung-won said in a statement.

The National Election Committee has found Roh guilty of violating election laws stipulating the neutrality of government officials after he criticised Lee in speeches.

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