Kim Repeats: 'Hands-Off'

President Kim Dae-jung vowed Saturday not to intervene in the ruling Millennium Democratic Party's nominations for next year's elections, saying he would focus on state affairs.

His "hands-off" pledge was a recapitulation of his statement on Nov. 8, when he resigned the party presidency.

"That is what the public has asked through the polls," Mr. Kim said at a meeting with the Jeju provincial government Saturday. Mr. Kim said the elections will be the fairest ever.

Korea holds local elections in June and the presidential election in December.

The president said he quit the party presidency to ensure the fairness of the elections and the success of the 2002 FIFA World Cup soccer games and the 2002 Busan Asiad. He also cited the need to revive the nation's economic competitiveness, stabilize public well-being and improve inter-Korean relations during the 16-months he still has in office.

He stressed that his departure will allow the party "to grow and become independent," an opinion shared by some presidential hopefuls who on Sunday welcomed Mr. Kim's pledge to stay out of the upcoming nomination process.

Representative Rhee In-je, a strong presidential candidate, said, "His involvement in the nomination process would have created some unnatural circumstances. The party must now nominate the person who has the public's highest support." Representative Noh Mu-hyun said, "It is a message for us to be independent in the post-'three-Kims' era."

But concerns of factional fighting continued among Millennium Democrats. Mr. Kim's resignation triggered concern that the nomination process would be marked by harsh factional fighting between the old Donggyo-dong faction, the new Donggyo-dong faction and reformists.

The concern was that the old Donggyo-dong faction, the party's largest and loyal to Mr. Kim since his days as an opposition leader, would gain the president's support.

For its part, the main opposition Grand National Party is keeping a careful eye on the president, trying to gauge just what his resignation means. On Sunday, the GNP called on the president to pledge that he will not create a new political party or try to realign political forces.

"Since Mr. Kim's resignation," Kwon Chul-hyun, an opposition spokesman, said, "an overhauling of state affairs that the public wants has yet to happen. Rather, there is high speculation that a new political party, composed of anti-Lee Hoi-chang and non-Kim Dae-jung groups, will come into force early next year."

by Kim Jin-kook