Followers of President Roh Decided Not to Disband MDP

The debate within the ruling Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) has entered a new phase as followers of President Roh Moo-hyun declared to give up disbanding the party in order to form a new party.

The group of MDP lawmakers who are pushing for a new party to replace the existing MDP held a meeting at a hotel in Yeouido, Seoul, with Rep. Kim Won-ki of the MDP and about 60 district party chapter chiefs present. They decided to forgo three points that they had earlier insisted upon, but the old guard of the party still showed some oppostion, Rep. Chung Dong-chae, spokesman of the group said. The three points include disbanding the MDP, pushing for an ideological party, and a structural re-organization of the party.

Among the three principles, the group of MDP lawmakers who set forth the new party initiative was initially insistent on disbanding the MDP in order to form a new party that was based on national support, not just from Jeolla Province, and one that kept its distance from former President Kim Dae-jung.

Rep. Chung explained that in order to win a victory in general elections next year, the MDP should give way to a new party without a split and without disbanding the current MDP. He went on to say that nobody raised an objection to the idea and that there would be no dissolution as long as the old guard didn’t oppose it.

Meanwhile, at an executives’ meeting chaired by MDP chairman Chyung Dai-chul, the MDP decided to consider a plan to hold a national convention on August 23 or 24, party spokesman Moon Seok-ho said.

Sung-Won Park swpark@donga.com