Rep. Lee In-je’s Defection From MDP

Rep. Lee In-je defected from the pro-government Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) on December 1.

In a news conference on the afternoon of that day, Lee said, "Mr. Roh Moo-hyun and his faction are extremists. I bolted the party in order to prevent a coalition of a faction engaged in corruption and an extremist faction from taking power in the upcoming election."

He added, "I am certain that the illegal wiretapping and manipulation of public opinions by an `invisible hand` is a scheme resulting from the incumbent government’s attempt to hang on to power. I call on President Kim to apologize for the political maneuvering and illegal wiretapping before the public."

Asked what his next step is, Lee responded that he "did not give a serious thought to which party I will join," but as for a question of whether he would support a certain candidate, he said that could be an option.

He is likely to support Lee Hoi-chang, presidential nominee of the Grand National Party (GNP), a source says, but it remains to be seen if he would join hands with the GNP or with Kim Jong-pil of the United Liberal Democrats. With respect to the defection of Rep. Lee, MDP spokesperson Lee Mi-gyung issued a statement in which she criticized this was the second time that he did not accept the result of primaries. His defection reduced floor seats controlled by the MDP to 102.

Yong-Gwan Jung yongari@donga.com