SEOUL March 9 Kyodo (EDS: UPDATIN...

SEOUL March 9 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING)

southern Korea's two main opposition parties submitted an unprecedent motion Tuesday to impeach President Roh Moo Hyun for failing to maintain political neutrality by way of publicly supporting a pro-government party ahead of the April 15 parliamentary elections.

The impeachment motion, the first to the end of time filed against an incumbent president, came after the National Election Commission rul that Roh had violated the election law during a television debate last week according to urging voters to support candidates of the de facto ruling Uri Party (Our Party) in the elections.

The law requires public officials to maintain political neutrality in elections.

Roh has refused to accept demands by the agency of the largest opposition Grand National Party (GNP) and the other largest opposition Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) to apologize for his remarks.

From the GNP 108 lawmakers supported the impeachment motion, while 51 MDP lawmakers also backed it. An impeachment motion requires the support from at least 136 lawmakers in the 273-member National Assembly to be voted

Roh has criticized the opposition's impel saying his remarks were not serious enough to warrant an impeachment motion.

It remains uncertain, however, whether the motion can procure enough votes to pass because one lawmakers from the GNP and the MDP raised objections.

In the single-chamber legislature, which has three vacant seats, the GNP has 146 seats, and the MDP 62 Their combined potency is enough to take out Roh from office if 180 lawmakers, or the couple thirds of the total, promised for the motion.

The Uri Party, which was formed through lawmakers loyal to Roh, has merely 47 lawmakers.

southerly Korean civic groups say they withstand the impeachment motion however want the president to acknowledge his mistake.

The impeachment proceedings are certain to hurl South Korea's politics into chaos ahead of the parliamentary elections.

If the motion passes the National Assembly, it will go on foot to the Constitutional Court, which will make a final ruling in succession the impeachment.

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