Millennium Democrats continue to fight over new party, candidate

Disaffected Millennium Democratic Party members will call for the organization of a new party on Friday, the day after the legislative by-elections. The members of the group say they want the MDP presidential candidate, Roh Moo-hyun, to drop his candidacy.

"More than 30 MDP lawmakers will endorse the statement," said Song Sok-chan, a member of the group. Smaller factions of the MDP, led by Representative Rhee In-je, who lost the party nomination to Mr. Roh, have argued that in order to boost the party's popularity, it must reorganize under a new name, attract high-profile political figures and sever all ties with President Kim Dae-jung's Blue House. They demanded a new vote for party's presidential candidate.

Mr. Roh was defiant. He vowed not to give up party presidential candidate readily when he won the position with the people's support and his audacity. "I will stand firmly rooted to my candidacy after the by-elections," he said, contradicting earlier suggestions that he might resign or enter a new race for the nomination should the party fare badly in Thursday's balloting to fill vacant seats in the National Assembly. Mr. Roh was campaigning Tuesday in Hanam, Gyeonggi province.

"We want to establish a more inclusive party to accept public opinion reflected in the local elections last June and in Thursday's by-elections," said an MDP lawmaker who is pushing for the formation of a new party. "Our statement on Friday may include a call to replace the party's presidential candidate."

MDP Representative Kim Young-bae, a leader of the dissident movement, said, "The perception that the MDP will lose the presidential election if it does not replace party executives, the presidential candidate and the party name is spreading within the party." Party moderates and conservatives like Representative Park Sang-kyu are also joining the movement. Party sources said that former prime minister Lee Han-dong would probably join the new party.

Cho Boo-young, deputy chairman of the small United Liberal Democrats and deputy speaker of the National Assembly, said there is a consensus to organize a party consisting of MDP dissidents, the ULD and other high-profile political figures. "It will be impossible to form a new party -- that would take at least four months," said Chung Dong-chae, a close aide of Mr. Roh. Another aide said Mr. Roh would not participate in a runoff election if Lee Han-dong and Goh Kun, a former mayor of Seoul, would run, since they have sharply different ideologies with Mr. Roh's.

by Lee Jung-min, Kang Min-seok