Kim Jong-pil attack continues unabated

Kim Jong-pil, president of the United Liberal Democrats, continued Tuesday to attack Lee Hoi-chang, the leader of the Grand National Party. In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting System, Mr. Kim gave his support to two of Mr. Lee's potential rivals in next year's presidential race.

"Lee Hoi-chang does not know how to control his emotions and speaks off the cuff, and a person who wants to be the nation's chief executive should not do that," Mr. Kim said. He added that he does not expect that Mr. Lee's party, which holds the most seats in the National Assembly, would cooperate with the United Liberal Democrats in reducing the number of seats needed to form a parliamentary negotiating group. Mr. Kim's party, which holds 15 seats in the Assembly, desperately wants to be named a negotiating group, but is five seats short of qualifying. That reality did not soften Mr. Kim's attack.

"Lee Hoi-chang is not normal," he declared. Even at inopportune times, he said, "he continues to take jabs at others." Mr. Kim spoke favorably of Representative Rhee In-je, a strong contender to win the ruling Millennium Democratic Party's presidential nomination. "I know he has great hopes," he said, referring to Mr. Rhee. "I hope they are achieved."

Mr. Kim continued his vitriol against Mr. Lee later in the day, while endorsing Park Geun-hye, a lawmaker belonging to the Grand National Party, who announced that she will run against Mr. Lee for the party's presidential nomination. She is the daughter of former President Park Chung Hee, to whom Mr. Kim is related by marriage.

Speaking to reporters after attending a meeting of his party's North Gyeongsang provincial chapter in Daegu, he said Mr. Lee "walks around like the messenger of death with his rigid expression."

He added that Ms. Park is a political force that the opposition leader will have to deal with, whether he likes it or not.

by Chung Young-gi