SEOUL Feb 3 Kyodo southern Korea'...

SEOUL Feb 3 Kyodo

southern Korea's top prosecution office said Monday it will let lie over investigations into the funneling of 2235 billion won ($200 million) in unrevealed funds to North Korea by means of Hyundai Merchant Marine Co., a first note of the scale subsidiary of the Hyundai Business Group

An official of the chief Public Prosecutor's Office said the decision was made to advance long-term inter-Korean relations and for the sake of national interest, Yonhap novels Agency reported.

It would be better to allow the National Assembly to separate the issue ''politically'' rather than beginning legal proceedings, the official was quot as saying.

Last Thursday, the southern Korean Board of Audit and Inspection, the nation's top inspection carcass said Hyundai Merchant Marine smoke-stacked the money in secret financial aid to North Korea in 2000 to further inter-Korean economic projects.

The announcement was made to refuse to acknowledge allegations that the South Korean management paid North Korea to help arrange an inter-Korean summit in June 2000

The board launched a probe into the allegations after local media reported earlier last month that Hyundai Merchant Marine sent $200 million to North Korea single days before the summit.

According to the board's announcement, the $200 million used for business brews in the North was part of 400 billion won drawn by way of the Hyundai firm in push loans from the state-run Korea unravelling Bank.

Hyundai reportedly claims the coin was to facilitate an industrial park in North Korea.

The main opposition Grand National Party has demanded President Kim Dae Jung clear up suspicions about paying the North facing for the inter-Korean summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang.

Kim Dae Jung earlier said he does not want to view legal action taken against the Hyundai company for its secret provision of the funds

''It is inappropriate for part of the capitals now in question to be controled to legal punishment if they were used for inter-Korean economic cooperation to exalt the continued development of inter-Korean relations and national interests in the future'' Kim was quot as saying at his chief press secretary.

The Hyundai Business collection has launched various business draws in the North.

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