Uri Party to Elect New Leaders in February

Korea Times, December 12, 2006

By Lee Jin-woo
Staff Reporter

The Uri Party’s internal dispute over the creation of a new party is likely to be put on hold for the time being as party officials have agreed to hold a national convention next February to elect new leaders of the party.

However, they have also decided to go ahead with their initial plan to hold a survey of legislators _ the results of which will be made public during a general meeting of the party’s 139 lawmakers on Friday, the last day of a five-day extraordinary National Assembly session.

Supporters of President Roh Moo-hyun have opposed the opinion poll. Only about 20 Uri legislators are known to support the president. Last Sunday, some 1,000 supporters of Roh gathered at the governing party’s headquarters in Seoul in an effort to foil the poll.

Depending on the result of the survey, the exact date and place of the convention will be decided. The survey questionnaire will include seven questions including five multiple-choice ones, Rep. Park Byeong-seug said.

Several lawmakers, who are known to have a neutral attitude, met yesterday morning near the Assembly to discuss ways to settle the dispute and normalize the operation of the party. Those who attended the meeting included Reps. Moon Hee-sang, Bae Ki-sun and Oh Young-sik.

They said they do not agree with pro-Roh officials, who have urged party leaders to step down. The lawmakers also said it would be inappropriate to discuss a possible political regrouping in a hasty manner.

``We hope the national convention will serve as a great opportunity to unite all reform-oriented and peace-loving forces in the nation,’’ Rep. Oh said. The lawmaker expected some 100 legislators of the party would support the move.

A number of party lawmakers, stunned by the party’s consecutive crushing election defeats, including the Oct. 25 by-elections, have sought ways to distance themselves from Roh.

Rep. Kim Han-gill, floor leader, and several other senior party lawmakers have warned Roh not to meddle in politics and urged him to focus on reviving the nation’s economy instead.

The president, who played a key role in founding the party in November 2003, has only 15 months left in his five-year presidency. Under the Constitution, Roh is banned from seeking re-election.