Floor of Assembly Deserted After Controversial Remarks

Wednesday's interpellation session broke down when an opposition legislator called on President Kim Dae-jung to voluntarily resign for having called the 1950-1953 Korean War a failed "attempt at unification."

Representative Ahn Taek-soo of the Grand National Party said, "The president's comment is a serious blunder that undermines the legitimacy of our state. It is a grotesque act.

"The president's leadership is heretical, and he should apologize to the people," Mr. Ahn added.

Mr. Ahn was referring to part of President Kim's speech on Sept. 28 marking Armed Forces Day. During the speech, the president said that in the history of Korea, there were three attempts to unify the Korean Peninsula: the first two by the ancient kingdoms of Shilla and Koryo and the third during the Korean War. "The fourth attempt, however, should never be carried out by force," Mr. Kim said.

Mr. Ahn's remarks triggered an outburst from the governing Millennium Democratic Party legislators, who said the opposition lawmaker was "way out of line" and "crude."

The ruling party then convened an emergency party meeting, demanding that Mr. Ahn apologize and his remarks be stricken from the National Assembly records.

Lee Jae-oh, the opposition floor leader, refused to make Mr. Ahn apologize. "We cannot accept the request for an apology; he was stating his personal political convictions."

The Millennium Democrats also berated the opposition leader, Lee Hoi-chang, for launching such a political attack only a day after he met with President Kim Dae-jung.

In response to the growing controversy over the president's remarks during the speech, the Blue House said that the words were taken out of context and the president was merely stressing that no lasting unification can be achieved through force.

by Lee Yang-soo