5 legislators spur speculation on possible new political party

On the surface a group of heavyweight legislators calling for a halt to partisan squabbling and demanding political party reform is nothing out of the ordinary.

But the group of five legislators － three from the ruling Millennium Democratic Party and two from the opposition Grand National Party － planning to issue such a statement on Thursday has observers saying a new political party may be in the works.

Representatives Kim Keun-tae, Chyung Dai-chul and Chung Dong-young of the ruling party, and Representatives Kim Deog-ryong and Lee Bu-young of the opposition met secretly Friday night. They reportedly agreed to halt partisan squabbles until after the June local elections and the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and to work to transform their parties into broad-based national parties, rather than the regionally-based parties centered around a core clique that dominate now.

"When we met on Nov. 30, there was general concern about the escalation of partisan fighting, and we decided to quit it to give the public hope," said Mr. Kim. Mr. Chyung added, "We are planning to form a bipartisan council."

His fellow legislator, Mr. Chung, warned against misinterpreting their intentions. "Our sole purpose is to extend reform to the entire political sector," he said.

But political watchers weren't buying their denials. Political parties in South Korea come and go, particularly before major elections. Local elections will be held in June and the nation will elect a new president next December.

The five legislators also have a lot in common. They are vocal proponents of political reform and enjoy popular support among their constituents. But their power bases within their parties are relatively weak, which means none of them has a realistic chance of being nominated to run for president. This reality is fueling the speculation that they will form a new party.

by Kang Min-seok