4 in ruling party vying to take group's reins

Noh Mu-hyun, senior adviser to the ruling Millennium Democratic Party, officially announced Monday that he is running for the party's nomination as its presidential candidate. The ruling party has four candidates as of Monday － Kim Joong-kwon, Hahn Hwa-kap, Yoo Jong-kun and Mr. Noh － competing for the nomination.

At an event celebrating Mr. Noh's recent publication of a book at the Seoul Hilton Hotel, he said he would run as a candidate representing both the western and eastern regions of the peninsula.

"I belong to no faction, but I have the support of the people," Mr. Noh said. He pledged to reform politics by putting an end to political factions and opening political culture to the public.

Park Geun-hye, a vice president of the opposition Grand National Party and daughter of former President Park Chung Hee, also declared that she will challenge opposition leader Lee Hoi-chang for their party's nomination. At a meeting with reporters in Daegu, Ms. Park said she could no longer ignore the deplorable status of national politics. "Even if I run for the nomination I will not form a faction," Ms. Park said. She asserted that the majority of support for Mr. Lee is only based on anti-Kim Dae-jung sentiments, and added that most of his support only exists within the party.

by Lee Soo-ho