MDP: “President Roh’s Electoral Intervention Will Lead to His Impeachment”

“The Roh Moo-hyun administration could have not been possible had it not been for support from the southwestern region.”

The Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) held the “Rally Against Illicit Government-controlled Elections to Destroy the MDP” in Hwasan Gymnasium in the city of Jeonju on February 23 in a move to defend its political backyard.

“President Roh and the Uri Party, the party of division and betrayal, are fanatically attempting to kill the MDP, their political parent, for the sake of electoral victory,” MDP chairman Chough Soon-hyung said in a speech, “Is he the same Roh whom 95 percent of southwestern voters selected for the presidential election?”

Chough criticized President Roh’s participation in a rally for the promotion of local autonomy as an act of government-influenced electoral campaign and said, “The cases for President Roh’s impeachment are more than enough. The MDP has completed its legal feasibility.” Chough warned, “If he continues his illicit intervention in the elections, we will file a motion for President Roh’s impeachment.” Rep. Lee Nak-hyun, the MDP planning commission for electoral campaigns who has served as spokesman for President Roh’s campaign headquarters and his transition team, said, “Although he does not do a single thing right, his engineering of the split of the MDP itself is good enough reason why he cannot succeed as president.” He continued, “If the MDP survives it will prevent the emergence of another traitor.”

Uri chairman Chung Dong-young, a southwestern native, faced a barrage of criticism. Rep. Kim Young-hwan, the MDP central committee member, said, “When Chairman Chung and I set foot in politics in 1996, we were resolute to help Kim Dae-jung to the presidency. We were his pupils.” He said, “Now, Chung has broken up with the spirit of the MDP and resorted to politics of division and betrayal by splitting the MDP into constituencies and regions.”

Chairman Chough, raising an issue of the legality of the Uri chairman’s political funds, said, “Chung said he spent about the same amount as I did for his campaigning for the MDP chairmanship in 2000 (98 million won). How can he explain the 600 million won in political contributions he reported to the Korea Election Commission?”

The rally was attended by about 5,000 people who packed the venue to the brim. Central Committee member Choo Mi-ae, who proposed an overhaul in the nomination process of legislature candidates, and General Secretary Kang Woon-tae, who is currently under pressure for resignation, did not attend the rally, revealing the complex conflicts inside the party.

Hyung-gwon Pu bookum90@donga.com