Rhee stays in presidency race

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Rhee stays in presidency race

Representative Rhee In-je, the embattled front-runner in the Millennium Democratic Party's presidential primary, on Wednesday ended speculation that he would bolt from the party.

"I will compete through to the end, and will gracefully accept the outcome," Mr. Rhee said at a press conference at the party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul. But he signaled a change of primary strategy for the remaining 10 primaries.

"I will dissolve my campaign headquarters, working only with like-minded colleagues and volunteers in my campaign," he said.

Mr. Rhee said, "Our party line is middle-of-the-road reform, not the radical reform espoused on the streets. A populist and radical reform is a foolish one that takes away a future of hope." He added that he will stop the "party from going left."

Mr. Rhee is strongly challenged by Roh Moo-hyun, a human rights lawyer turned politician with a liberal reputation. A JoongAng Ilbo survey placed him at the liberal end of a spectrum of seven presidential contenders.

Mr. Rhee stressed that in the name of democracy he would "fight any incident by the powers that be to erode fair and just competition." He had charged that key party officials were covertly assisting for Mr. Roh.

After his announcement, Mr. Rhee resumed campaigning, stopping in his hometown of Nonsan, South Chuncheong province, and then heading to Iksan, North Jeolla province.

Mr. Roh trails behind Mr. Rhee by 1,690 votes out of about 6,000 cast so far - 12 percent of the votes that will be cast in the two-month primary.

But Mr. Noh has pulled off upset victories in in Gwangju and Gangwon province. He has inspired his followers, who call themselves "nosamos" and rally in waves whenever he is announced as the winner.

"The bold claim made by one individual candidate that he will carry out a political realignment is the reason that a conspiracy theory has emerged," Mr. Rhee said, referring to Mr. Roh.

Speaking through his aide, Yoo Jong-pil, Mr. Roh demanded that Mr. Rhee apologize for saying that there was a conspiracy. "It is a duty to continue on with the primary. Should it, however, be to harm rather than to truly compete, there can be no escaping the judgment of the fellow party members," said Mr. Yoo.

In a taped television debate broadcast by the Korean Broadcasting System from Changwon, Mr. Roh repeated his intention to realign like-minded forces when he is nominated as the ruling party's presidential nominee. Mr. Rhee skipped the debate.

by Song Sang-hoon

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