Posted September. 08, 2003 23:05,
The preparatory committee for a new party, which has been sought by reformists within the ruling Millennium Democratic Party, finalized Monday its timetable for the launch of a new party at a meeting held at a building of the National Assembly. Members of the committee said they would push for building a joint front with outside figures to form a new political party.
In addition, the preparatory committee decided to elect chairman of the new party at a general meeting before the parliamentary audit to show off its image as a political party at the assembly audit session. Furthermore, the committee is discussing a plan to let five defectors from the Grand National Party and another two of the People`s Party for Reform join as members of its floor negotiation group.
The preparatory committee said the election of the chairman would be carried out in an open competition. However, there is a growing sentiment shared by members within a new party faction to elect Rep. Kim Keun-tae, a MDP advisor, to the position, said leading figures of the committee.
In a counterattack, MDP`s old guards held an executive meeting at the party`s building on that day to accept resignation letters submitted by 7 party members to join in a move to create a new party and agreed to aggressively deal with the current situation.
During the meeting, its executive committee decided to appoint a successor to secretary general Lee Sang-soo, who had tendered his resignation letter to the party, as soon as possible. In addition, they set up a plan that chairman Chung Dai-chul will visit the president to discuss measures to fend off a breakup of the MDP at an earlier date.
Supreme council member Rep. Park Sang-chun, leading figure in the MDP`s old guards, held a press conference Monday at the MDP headquarters to clarify their future course of action. He said, We will make efforts to integrate all party members under the banner of chairman Chung. In case of chairman Chung joining a new party, we will form a new party leadership by convening a general convention within the year after luring in outside figures and establish a task force team in charge of devising reform plans for the MDP.