Ruling Party Plans `Emergency Interim System`

President Kim Dae-Jung, head of the New Millennium Democratic Party (NMDP), will accept the mass resignation of the Supreme Council members of the party, and will reveal his plan for reshaping the ruling party, including the party`s emergency interim system, just after his returning from the `Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plus Korea, China, and Japan Summit` on 6th.

President Kim`s plan will contain Kwon Roh-Kap, former member of the Supreme Council, and Park Jie-Won, Senior Secretary to the President for Policy and Planning`s courses of action.

A high ranking official of the ruling party said, ``President Kim will express his will to reshuffle the government and party, including the reformists` request for personnel reshuffle. Kim, however, already decided to leave the matters on the political schedule, such as his resignation from the party`s presidentship and the time for party`s national convention, entirely up to the party.``

The NMDP is in the escalating internal feud between the reformists and Donggyo-Dong faction, and between a group who insists to hold early national convention in January for the election of new Chairman in order to reshaping the party`s leadership and another group who contends to have April convention for early selection of the party`s presidential candidate.

Rep. Rhee In-Je, member of the Supreme Council, said that he would not attend the NMDP`s Supreme Council meeting at Cheong Wa Dae on 7th. Rhee repeatedly presented his will to become a rank-and-file member of the party during his meeting with Chairman Han Kwang-Ok, on Saturday.

Rep. Rhee claimed a `conspiracy theory` that some members of the Supreme Council, who support the reformists, plotted the resignation en bloc to hold the party hegemony. A high ranking official of the ruling party said, ``Unless Rep. Rhee, a leading presidential candidate of the party, withdraw his intention to resign from the Supreme Council, President Kim should accept the wholesale resignation.``

Rep. Rhee, according to a close confidant of Rhee, clearly said to Chairman Han that the party should re-appoint the other 6 elected members of the Supreme Council, except Rhee, run the party with an emergency interim system, and hold national convention during next April for early election of the party`s presidential candidate.

But, the other presidential hopefuls of the NMDP, such as Han Hwa-Gap and Kim Keun-Tae, are strongly opposing against Rhee`s position, and insist that the party`s presidential candidate should be elected in July or August national convention after finishing next year`s local election.

chang@donga.com