The ruling and main opposition parties are in an escalating clash over allegations that threats were made against Ahn Cheol-soo, a software entrepreneur-turned-professor with presidential ambitions, with both sides accusing each other of engaging in political intrigue.

Lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) blasted the ruling Saenuri Party for resorting to old-fashioned political machinations to tarnish Ahn's image.

They said that alleged threats made by Jeong June-guil, a media relations officer of the ruling Saenuri Party, to his personal friend and adviser of Ahn were impossible without a clandestine background check by the government of the 50-year-old dean of the Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology at Seoul National University.

The DUP's attacks come a day after Keum Tae-sup, a lawyer with close ties with Ahn, held a press conference to say Jeong claimed to have information that could effectively kill the dean's political ambitions. Keum said Jeong urged the lawyer to persuade Ahn not to run.

The alleged threats center on claims that Ahn bribed an official of the Korea Development Bank (KDB) in 2002 and has maintained an extramarital affair with a young woman.

If proven, both allegations could hurt Ahn, whose popularity is based on his clean image and calls to reform society.

The DUP said it named Rep. Woo Yoon-keun to head a fact-finding panel to look into the possibility of the government conducting illegal surveillance, and if the need arises, call for a parliamentary probe or appoint a special prosecutor to look into the matter.

The Saenuri Party countered that the DUP is trying to exaggerate the contents of an informal call placed by a newly appointed official to a university friend.

"Jeong is not a lawmaker and was only recently named a media relations officer, so he was never in the position to make such accusations in the first place," said party spokesman Hong Il-pyo.

The lawmaker said it is the DUP and Ahn's advisers who are resorting to political machinations by exaggerating the phone conversation.

"The reaction by the opposition may come from the fact that its primary election has failed to attract public interest," the lawmaker said. He added that in the case of Ahn, the disclosure could have been aimed at deflecting criticism for recent revelations that showed he has not been honest about his past.

Hong said calls for a parliamentary probe were nothing more than political maneuvering because there is no evidence other than conflicting claims made by Keum and Jeong.

He also said, however, that Saenuri is not formally against a probe, hinting that such a move could allow the party to make public the bribery and extra marital affair allegations.

The party official then said that Jeong will be dismissed from his media relations post for the incident.

"He is being removed because he acted without really thinking about the fallout of his personal conversation," the spokesman said. (Yonhap News)