Party Elders Slam Junior Lawmakers

Kim Joong-kwon, chairman of the ruling Millennium Democratic Party, criticized Thursday the first and second-term lawmakers who led the drive to revamp the party leadership for continuing to meet even after President Kim Dae-jung said that he will announce his plans on Wednesday.

"Their demands were sufficiently conveyed to the president, and he has embraced them," Mr. Kim said in a meeting of the party's Supreme Council.

"Meetings of this kind should be curtailed," the chairman added.

The first and second-term lawmakers, who continued their internal consultations after a meeting with the president on Monday, said they will be watching how the president responds to their calls for changes within the party.

Representative Rhee In-je and other core members of the Donggyo-dong faction, all members of the Supreme Council, said future meetings of the junior lawmakers will not be tolerated.

Chung Dong-young, the leader behind the junior lawmakers' revolt and a Supreme Council member, said the Tuesday meeting was to review and wrap up their protest.

by Lee Jung-min