Kim-Lee Meeting Changes Nothing

President Kim Dae-jung and the opposition leader Lee Hoi-chang concluded their one-on-one meeting on Thursday without agreement on how to resolve the current political standoff.

Instead, the two demonstrated their political differences during the 90-minute meeting, casting more doubts on prospects of cooperation between the ruling and opposition camps.

Political observers forecast that the ruling party will press ahead with merger with the minor United Liberal Democrats to achieve majority in the 273-seat National Assembly as well as appoint ULD-affiliated members in the cabinet reshuffle planned late this month.

The opposition, for its part, is expected to continue its fight on the floor when the National Assembly opens its main session Monday, meanwhile cooperating on economic affairs.

During the meeting, Mr. Kim and Mr. Lee remained far apart in their interpretation of the defection of three ruling party lawmakers and the prosecution's latest investigation into whether the national intelligence agency's slush funds went to the then-ruling camp during the 1996 general elections.

Mr. Lee, the president of the Grand National Party, asked that the three lawmakers return to the Millennium Democratic Party from the United Liberal Democrats.

"The defection goes against the public will represented in the outcome of the April 13, 2000 general elections," Mr. Lee told the president.

Mr. Kim, however, said that the voters, by giving neither the ruling nor the main opposition party a majority, have, in fact, given the United Liberal Democrats the deciding vote.

"I agreed not to take to political alignment on the basis that there would be cooperation and trust between the ruling and opposition camps," Mr. Kim said. "To date, I have seen no cooperation of sorts," he said.

by Kim Ji-soo