Wedding Bells Start to Peal For the 2 Coalition Parties

A succession of proposals to "marry" the ruling Millennium Democratic Party and the United Liberal Democrats, which are currently joined in a loose coalition, have emerged, fanning the talk of political realignment before the 2002 presidential election.

Following Tuesday's merger proposal put by Rep. Song Sok-chan of the United Liberal Democrats to President Kim Dae-jung, Rep. Rhee In-je of the Millennium Democratic Party expressed on Wednesday his endorsement of union of the two coalition partners.

"It is my belief that the two parties should merge. Our political reality requests a two-camp system," said Mr. Rhee, a member of the ruling party's elite Supreme Council and a strong candidate for a spot on the party ticket.

Rumors of a realignment have been stirring in the political arena, as President Kim Dae-jung's five-year tenure will end in February 2003.

In a step regarded as clearing the way to the parties' merger, the president sent four of his party's lawmakers to join the United Liberal Democrats at the end of last year. The move reinvigorated the coalition and qualified the smaller party as a negotiating bloc in parliament. Mr. Song is one of the four legislators reassigned in the process.

However, the proposals are causing a minor ripple. Two strong rivals for the ruling camp's ticket in the 2002 presidential elections, Chairman Kim Joong-kwon and Rep. Hahn Hwa-kap called Mr. Rhee's comment "typical" of him.

For its part, the United Liberal Democrats are more keen to place their leaders in a planned cabinet reshuffle slated for later this month.

The opposition Grand National Party has criticized the "marriage proposal" as a tactic to debilitate and uproot the opposition.

by Lee Yang-soo