MDP holds joint campaign rally

The ruling Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) has launched a full-fledged campaign for its leadership with the holding of a joint debate on Friday attended by 15 aspiring members of the party supreme council, the MDP¡¯s top executive body. At the campaign rally, which was held at the party headquarters in Yoido, the candidates for the supreme council posts expressed their views on a wide range of problems in partisan and state affairs. These included government-party relations and presidential leadership, significance and justification of the party¡¯s continuous grip on power, political reform, the coalition between President Kim Dae-Jung and former Prime Minister Kim Jong-Pil and relations with the United States.

Some candidates insisted on the need for the building of a new, strong party (Park Sang-Cheon, Hahn Hwa-Kap and Ahn Dong-Sun), while others called for political power to be maintained (Kim Ki-Jai, Kim Joong-Kwon and Lee In-Je). Still other aspirants demanded the revitalization of stagnant party leadership and the acceleration of unification tasks (Kim Geun-Tai).

Still other aspirants demanded the revitalization of stagnant party leadership and the acceleration of unification tasks (Kim Geun-Tai), while some told their plans to serve as a ¡°bridging¡± connecting the old, the middle aged and the youth (Chung Dong-Young and Kim Min-Seok) and to become a pillar in establishing an advanced political party system (Choo Mi-Ae).

Besides, other candidates tried to appeal with their ambitious plans to actively reflect women¡¯s opinions to the policy (Kim Hee-Sun), to become a leader not just saying something but doing it (Lee Hyup), and to devote himself, as a reform-oriented man of great administrative ability, to making a strong ruling party (Chung Dai-Chul).