Ruling Party`s Supreme Council Members Resigned All together

Despite the overall resignation of the party`s Supreme Council members, President Kim Dae-Jung is likely turn down the resignation at the Supreme Council meeting in Cheong Wa Dae today and will reveal his intention to reflect the opinion of the party for the reformation of the party and the government around the end of this year.

However, once the Supreme Council members expressed their intention for resignation, the authority of the Supreme Council and the control power of the leaders seem drastically weakened, and consequently the demand for the reformation is anticipated to be explosive.

Some Supreme Council members asserted that the party has to call a national convention early to reorganize the party system and has to prepare for the local election and the Presidential election next year. Therefore, the time table for the national convention of the party and the election of the party`s Presidential candidate has emerged as an issue again.

Response of the President: a high official of Cheong Wa Dae said, ``President Kim will turn down the resignation of the Supreme Council members and he will meet lawmakers of the party to collect the opinions after returning from the summit talks of ASEAN + Korea, China, and Japan.``

The official stated, ``President is ready to accept all the measures presented through an official channel of the party including the opinions concerning political time table as well as the party structure and the human resource management.``

However, President seems not mention about the time and range of the cabinet reshuffling since the National Assembly to survey the national budget is still on session.

Controversies On National Convention: Chung Se-Gyun, chairperson of organization committee, revealed ``since the party`s constitution regulates the national convention to be held to elect the chairperson and Supreme Council members of the party on Jan. 23rd next year, the party`s organization will officially discuss the matter from next week.`` confirming the launch of the discussion about the political time table in the `special organization for the reformation of the national administration`.

However, Rep. Kim Seong-Ho, a member of `Daybreak 21` remarked that this is not a right time to talk about the time table of national convention, criticizing ``without the withdrawal of the core members who exercised great power on the party operation, the discussion about the national convention will never help to solve the problem.``

Supreme Council members Han Hwa-Gap, Kim Keun-Tae, and Chung Dong-Young also opposed to the early discussion about the national convention in the midst of the widespread requests for the overall reformation by the young caucuses.

Supreme Council members Resigned en bloc : the New Millennium Democratic Party held a emergency meeting of the Supreme Council members and presented their resignation en bloc. All the staffs including the secretary general, floor leader, and chairperson of policy committee also presented their resignation to chairperson Han.

Supreme Council member Park Sang-Chun stated, ``once the resignation of the Supreme Council members are officially presented, it cannot be turned down. I will participate in the Cheong Wa Dae meeting as an ordinary member of the party.``

However, Supreme Council member Rhee In-Jae is likely to boycott the Supreme Council meeting in Cheong Wa Dae.

chang@donga.com