Ruling party chief is stepping down

Representative Hahn Hwa-kap, chairman of the Millennium Democratic Party, yesterday confirmed a recent report that he would step down as party chairman before President-elect Roh Moo-hyun takes office on Feb 25.

Pressian, an Internet newspaper, first reported the news after interviewing Mr. Hahn.

He repeated the announcement yesterday afternoon in an address at the opening of the Assembly of Democratic Women for Political Revolution, saying, "Times have changed and so have our leaders. As history takes its turn, changes must be accepted."

Mr. Hahn told Pressian, "I wanted to resign a long time ago, but I was held back from doing so because I knew that had I run from my responsibilities the party would have fallen apart."

Yesterday he told reporters, "The changes occurring in the party are not coming from within. It was instigated by outside forces. The Millennium Democratic Party is at this moment hardly worthy of being called a party. It is apparent that new, outside interests wish to create a whole new party of their own."

by Park Sung-hee