He said President Bush and the Pentagon had revealed their intention to drive the peninsula to war, effectively declaring hostilities against North Korea as part of its plan to keep Korea divided forever.

Song alleged Lee Hoi-chang's son Lee Jong-yon, the had received tens of millions of won, and his father had suppressed the Korean people during the Japanese occupation and then worked for the communists following liberation.

Earlier GNP Representative Hon Jung-pyo had said that President Kim Dae-jung's third son Kim Hong-gul was living a luxury life in the US, having several bank accounts in Los Angeles containing up to US$1 million each.

GNP members tried to physically stop Song from finishing his speech and called for it to be removed from the minutes, before leaving the Assembly en masse. The MDP demanded that sanctions be imposed on the GNP for this action.

MDP Spokesman Lee Nak-yon said later Song's comments on Bush were inappropriate and had nothing to do with the party.

President Kim expressed sincere regrets on Song's behavior calling it totally improper, and later reprimanded the party leadership according to informed sources.

GNP Spokesman Nam Kyong-pil called Song's action of condemning a foreign leader prior to a visit to the country a diplomatic lack of courtesy beyond common sense. He asked whether President Kim and the MDP agreed with Song's "incarnation of evil" remarks.

Afterwards Song said Bush's visit wasn't a "present," but to isolate North Korea, in response to reporters' questions on whether his speech was a breech of diplomatic protocol. He continued that when the US attacks North Korea, the North would attack the South and that was why he called Bush "the incarnation of evil."

However, following talks with the MDP leadership Song withdrew his comments and apologized, saying his remarks about Bush were wrong.

(Kim Chang-kyun, ck-kim@chosun.com )