'A plot's afoot,' Roh growls about defectors

Roh Moo-hyun, the presidential candidate of the Millennium Democratic Party, clashed Friday with members of the party's Donggyo-dong faction, which is composed of long-time Kim Dae-jung loyalists. Mr. Roh accused the group of masterminding the increasing flow of defectors away from the party and his candidacy. The faction announced Thursday that the party's executive committee should be convened at the end of October to reassess its next political steps if Mr. Roh's popularity with Korean voters does not increase. They suggested the possibility of an alliance with groups outside the party.

Twenty-three MDP lawmakers will leave the party next week and organize a separate bargaining group in the National Assembly before joining Chung Mong-joon, who is running for the presidency as an independent candidate.

Shin Ki-nam, an aide of the MDP standard-bearer, said that someone "manipulated" a former lawmaker, Kim Min-seok, into joining Mr. Chung's entourage. Mr. Kim was President Kim Dae-jung's chief of staff during their days as an opposition group. His defection stirred rumors that the Blue House has given up on Mr. Roh's flagging candidacy and intends to back Mr. Chung. Mr. Shin added that he has heard that the Donggyo-dong faction is planning to oust Mr. Roh from the party.

Chyung Dai-chul, co-chair of Mr. Roh's election committee, echoed the claims. "They're trying to throw him overboard," he said. Mr. Roh's supporters demanded that the election committee and the party administration be centralized to keep tighter control of fractious party members.

Chung Kyun-hwan, a member of the party's leadership and of the Donggyo-dong faction, said the party should be free to select a candidate backed by several parties. "We should back Mr. Roh solidly until the end of October, and after that discuss how to keep the party in the Blue House," said Han Kwang-ok, another MDP leadership council member.

Representatives of cliques seeking to select a single candidate backed by several parties met Friday. Choi Myung-hun and Kim Won-gil, dissident MDP leaders, Kang Sin-ok, the head of Mr. Chung's new party planning department, Cho Boo-young, a deputy assembly speaker and a member of the United Liberal Democrats, and former lawmaker Kim Young-jin, representing former prime minister Lee Han-dong all participated in the meeting. They said they agreed to form a bargaining bloc in the Assembly.

by Choi Hoon, Lee Jung-min