Lee defends his leadership of the opposition party

"I have no cronies," said Lee Hoi-chang, the main opposition leader, at a press conference at the Teikoku Hotel in Tokyo. He said colleagues holding major party posts help him out with policy and internal affairs, as dictated by the nature of their positions.

Mr. Lee, who left for Japan on Saturday, is seeking to quell a dispute within the Grand National Party over his leadership.

But the internal tumult continued to shake the opposition party back in Seoul. A group of first and second-term lawmakers within the party who call themselves the "miraeyeondae" or "future coalition" held a dinner meeting, urging Mr. Lee to take a "drastic measures." A party vice president, Lee Bu-young, said, "The leadership, comprising the president [Mr. Lee] and the vice presidents, should resign and form an emergency committee embracing Representatives Kim Deog-ryong and Hong Sa-duk in future party affairs."

The split in the party has widened since Representative Park Geun-hye, considered by some Mr. Lee's strongest rival within the party, bolted. Mr. Kim and Mr. Hong have suggested that they may leave as well, possibly following the daughter of former President Park Chung Hee to form a new party.

On Monday, another party vice president, Representative Choe Byung-yul, criticized Mr. Lee for cronyism. Also on Monday, Mr. Hong and Representative Kim Mahn-je urged Mr. Lee to relinquish formal leadership of the party. They also asked him to adopt a group-based leadership structure before the December presidential election.

Mr. Lee's supporters, such as Ha Soon-bong, one of the party's 10 vice presidents, and Secretary-General Lee Sang-deuk have defended him by basically dismissing the squabble as irrational.

"It is only natural in any organization to have insiders and noninsiders. Why is that a problem?" the secretary general asked.

by Ko Jung-ae