More cracks appear in MDP facade

The Millennium Democratic Party’s young Turks yesterday continued their drive to break up the party. Younger, reform-oriented members who were the backbone of President Roh Moo-hyun’s rise to the presidency boycotted a general party meeting called by the floor leader, Chung Kyun-hwan.
The younger members had met late Sunday to take the next step in breaking away from the existing party, agreeing to form a preparatory committee.
Also absent from the general meeting yesterday was the party’s acting chairman, Chyung Dai-chul, who questioned the meeting’s agenda. He cited President Roh Moo-hyun’s absence on a U.S. visit and the continuing fallout from independent truckers’ strike, and said it would not be appropriate to be meeting to discuss an internal party matter. Mr. Chung, the floor leader, rejected Mr. Chyung’s argument and pushed ahead with the meeting, which attracted about 40 party members.
The general meeting became a free-for-all forum in which the party’s old guard lashed out against the rebels.
Mr. Chung said he was very concerned that some party members would call a private meeting to discuss a matter that involved the entire party. Other MDP moderates also spoke against the breakaway move and said a committee should be formed to manage the party’s crisis.
But the reformers, including Chun Jung-bae, Chung Dong-young and Shin Ki-nam, met against yesterday and reaffirmed the plan to break away from the party. “We’ll do whatever it takes to make it happen,” Mr. Chun said, “even if takes a tantrum.” Mr. Shin said politics is a struggle for power and battles are inevitable despite the incidental damage. The reformers plan to hold a workshop over the weekend, which they expect to be a watershed in their effort.
They say they will welcome reform-minded legislators to their fold, but would close the door on persons like the former party chairman, Hahn Hwa-kap, and other old guard members who were identified by their personal loyalty to former President Kim Dae-jung.
Separately, Mr. Chung, the floor leader, told a radio interviewer yesterday that a former MDP member, Kim Min-seok, who left the party to join former presidential candidate Chung Mong-joon’s campaign, should return to the party to play a key role in the party’s effort to reform itself.

by Lee Jung-min, Park Shin-hong