Controversy is growing over President Roh Moo-hyun's remark about the Northern Limit Line (NLL).

The Grand National Party (GNP) has raised speculation of a backroom deal between Mr. Roh and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. The party said it is looking into the political motives behind the remark, as well as its repercussions, with the presidential election coming up in December.

The Democratic Party also blasted the remark as destabilizing national security.

But the United New Democratic Party denounced the GNP, urging it to stop what it described as "futile disputes" and cooperate on the summit agreements.

The Democratic Labor Party also expressed agreement with the president's remark.

The confrontation between the GNP and the presidential office and former ruling camp forces is expected to affect the presidential election.

In a meeting with political party chiefs Thursday, the president said it's misleading to the public to call the NLL a sea border. Instead, he said, it should be seen as marking the limit of South Korean naval operations.

Mr. Roh said that Seoul's basic position is to handle the NLL issue in accordance with the South-North Basic Agreement of 1992. The accord recognizes the NLL as the de facto border, but leaves open the possibility for further talks on the issue.

The NLL was unilaterally drawn as a sea border by the U.N. Command in 1953 after the Korean War ended. In contrast, the military demarcation line, the overland border, was agreed on by the North and the U.N. Command.

In 1999, North Korea unilaterally declared a new border that runs south of the NLL, leading to several bloody naval clashes in 1999 and 2002. During the 2002 skirmish, six South Korean sailors were killed.