MDP led fund-raising again, but GNP gained ground for 3d year

Last year the ruling Millennium Democratic Party collected 59.6 billion won ($45 million) in donations and the main opposition Grand National Party 32 billion won, the National Election Commission reported Sunday. The minor United Liberal Democrats collected 7.3 billion won.

The panel said political parties raised 99.9 billion won from supporters, down from 126 billion won in 2000. Ruling party fund-raising fell 27 billion won. The United Liberal Democrats collected 4.2 billion won less than in 2000. But the Grand National Party raised 6.3 billion won more than it raised in the previous year. For the last three years the gap in political fund-raising between the ruling and main opposition parties has narrowed.

Each ruling party lawmaker collected an average of 234 million won, followed by lawmakers of the United Liberal Democrats, with an average of 221 million won, and the Grand Nationals, who averaged 172 million won each.

Representative Hahn Hwa-kap, a Millennium Democrat, was the largest fund-raiser, bringing in 731 million won. Sixteen lawmakers of the ruling party, including Park Sang-cheon, Kim Choong-jo and Rhee In-je, were among the top 20 fund-raisers. Representative Kim Mahn-je of the Grand National Party was ranked eighth, top in his party.

Representative Kim Keun-tae of the ruling party collected 371 million won. A former ruling party chairman, Kim Joong-kwon, brought in 465 million won, and Noh Mu-hyun, a party adviser, collected 211 million won. These three men are running, along with Mr. Hahn and Mr. Rhee, for the ruling party's presidential nomination.

Opposition leader Lee Hoi-chang collected 295 million won, and Representative Park Geun-hye, who recently quit the Grand National Party, brought in 334 million won in donations.

by Kim Jung-ha