Former President’s Son to Leave the MDP

Rep. Kim Hong-il, former president Kim Dae-jung’s eldest son, announced on Tuesday that he was leaving the Millennium Democratic Party (MDP), a camp created and led by his father, to run as an independent in the upcoming April 15 general elections.

“I decided to give up my all vested rights and to leave the party so that I can be genuinely judged by voters in Mokpo, a city in South Jeolla Province, as an individual politician in earnest. Even though I have many shortcomings, I will make every effort to help Mokpo prosper,” Kim said in a statement. Then he officially declared his resignation from the party in his district party chapter.

“I am sorry to be leaving the MDP’s Mokpo district which my father had kept for 50 years. However, I still hope that the MDP wins a number of National Assembly seats in the April elections.” Kim said.

Rep. Kim’s departure will likely heat up a debate over which party the former president Kim Dae-jung is backing in the general elections. It is reported that Rep. Kim visited his father and said he would run as an independent in the general elections after Chough Soon-hyung, a chairman of the MDP, said he will move his electoral district from Seoul to a provincial city of Daegu, a rival district, in the April elections. The ex-president reportedly said he would leave the issue to his son’s own decision.

yongari@donga.com