Ruling Party Feud Ends

An awkward handshake Thursday between Kwon Roh-kap, the leader of the ruling Millennium Democratic Party's most powerful faction, and a freshman lawmaker, Chung Dong-young, ended the dissension that threatened to split the party.

Coming out of a Supreme Council meeting Thursday, Mr. Kwon issued a press statement emphasizing party unity.

"There is no conflict between myself and Hahn Hwa-kap," he said. "The party is at a junction where we have to consolidate, and I will work toward that."

Ironically, Representative Hahn Hwa-kap, also a member of the faction, was reportedly behind calls made by young party members for the Tonggyo-dong faction, made up of loyalists to President Kim Dae-jung, to step down. Mr. Chung had called on the faction, led by Mr. Kwon, to give up party leadership Saturday in a meeting with President Kim Dae-jung. The disclosure of Mr. Chung's comments rocked the party.

Mr. Hahn, who is currently in Japan, issued a statement denying that he asked the young lawmakers to call for a change in party leadership and affirming Mr. Kwon's status as the "number-two man in the party."

Despite Thursday's development, ruling party insiders said the calls for change will resurface when President Kim Dae-jung returns Thursday from the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony.

"The so-called Pro-Kwon camp and the Anti-Kwon camp have only momentarily put aside their differences," said a senior party official who requested anonymity.

Ruling party leaders said the dissension in the party has many roots which will be hard to overcome.

First is the perceived division within the Tonggyo-dong faction itself. Second is the generation gap between freshman lawmakers and the aging party leadership.

by Kim Ji-soo