Kim Yields to Reform Calls, Resigns Party Leadership

President Kim Dae-jung resigned Thursday as president of the ruling Millennium Democratic Party, responding to the calls of reformers for a complete overhaul of the party in response to the Oct. 25 by-election defeat.

Park Jie-won, the Blue House secretary for policy and planning and a top trusted aide to Mr. Kim, also resigned. Another trusted aide whose withdrawal from politics had been demanded, Kwon Roh-kap, remained silent on his plans. He postponed plans for a press conference Friday.

"I feel fully responsible for the loss of public trust in our party and the disappointment suffered by our party members in the wake of the defeat," Mr. Kim said in a letter he sent to a meeting of party leaders. He did not attend the meeting.

"With all of the Supreme Council members having resigned," the letter said, "it is only natural that I, as the head of the party, join in and lead their steps to take responsibility."

Mr. Kim accepted the resignations of all 12 Supreme Council members, with the exception of the party chairman, Han Kwang-ok, who must fill the void left by the president. The other former Supreme Council members will serve as standing counselors.

The ruling party will go on an emergency leadership footing, a spokesman, Jeon Yong-hak, said. "We will carry out a complete reshuffle of party leadership next week at the earliest."

Mr. Kim is also expected to change the lineup of his economic team led by Deputy Prime Minister Jin Nyum, Prime Minister Lee Han-dong and several ministers with MDP affiliations such as Kim Won-gil, minister of health and welfare.

By retiring from the party presidency, Mr. Kim said he would be able to focus on the deteriorating economy and on international affairs in the changed environment wrought by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.

"At the same time, I will apply myself, as chief of the administration, to the next year's World Cup Games, the Busan Asiad and the local and presidential elections next year," the president said.

Millennium Democrats of all stripes expressed shock and dismay. Senior party members attempted to have him repeal his resignation decision after a two-hour meeting opened by Mr. Han with expressions of "sorrow and guilt." Mr. Kim refused to do so.

"I have nothing to say today," said Representative Chung Dong-young, who led the reformers' call.

But political watchers forecast that the party infighting might worsen.

"It is going to be an Hobbesian state of confrontation," said one insider, who expected Mr. Kim's resignation to deepen the confusion and accelerate factional competition in Korean party politics.

South Korea goes to the polls twice next year, with local elections in June and presidential balloting in December.

Varying scenarios put forth by differing camps within the party for next year's political schedule illustrate the whirlpools awaiting the rudderless MDP.

Under party regulations, a new party head must be elected within two months after a vacancy occurs. And under party charter, the next party convention is to take place in January.

But presidential hopefuls such as Representative Hahn Hwa-kap, who is part of the new Donggyo-dong faction, seeks to hold a January convention to elect a party leader and another in July to pick the party's presidential nominee. Another presidential hopeful, Rhee In-je, backed by the old Donggyo-dong faction, wants to change party regulations to hold a convention in March or April to select both the party head and the presidential candidate. Reformers such as Representative Chung Dong-young prefer one convention in the spring.

Without a referee, who had been Mr. Kim, these conflicting interests will continue to wage fratricidal strife, insiders said.

Others saw a different meaning in the president's exit from the party leadership. They suggested that it masked a plan by Mr. Kim to exercise influence behind the scenes before next year's elections.

The former President Kim Young-sam gave up presidency of the New Korea Party on Sept. 24, 1997, just four months before the presidential election and after the party decided on Lee Hoi-chang as its presidential candidate. Former President Roh Tae-woo retired from the presidency of the Democratic Liberal Party on May 19, 1992, after the party had decided on Kim Young-sam as its candidate for the December 1992 election.

by Kim Ji-soo