Party-President Lee Settles the Party Troubles

Grand National Party president Lee Hoi-Chang returned from the 4-day trip to Japan on the 13th, and has begun to settle the party troubles caused by withdrawal movements of assemblymen Kim Deok-Ryong and Hong Sa-Duk. After holding a meeting among party chiefs and leaders on the 14th, Lee is to personally meet vice-president Choi Byeong-Ryul, who raised political problems of Kim and Hong, and resigned vice-president Kang Saem-Jae by the upcoming weekend, and hear their opinions.

“We are to find measures that can sustain requests of non-mainstream personnel without upsetting the system.”, said the head of planning committee, Yoon Yeo-Jun.

However, assemblyman Kim Young-Chun, a close personnel to Kim Deok-Ryong, said, “If Future Solidarity’s (group of first and second term-assemblymen) request, which insists that party hegemony and governmental power must be separated and group leadership system should be adopted, is not accepted in May’s general party conference, I will have to make a serious decision.”

In-Soo Song issong@donga.com