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Demands by younger members of the Grand National Party (GNP) for "sacrificial decisions" from the party's leadership has led to so much party strife that on Thursday major party figures resigned from their party posts.
A heavy sense of crisis overtook the party as the prosecution announced the GNP had received W17 billion more than the W15.2 billion it is already known to have received from Samsung during the 2002 presidential election.
GNP floor leader Hong Sa-duk walked out of a party meeting and called a press conference to announce his resignation. He said that when younger member of the party issued "concerned advice" on Wednesday, "everything they were talking about had to do with Assembly floor strategy."
"I'm resigning as the floor leader who is supposed to be responsible for all floor strategy," said Hong.
"I'll assume responsibility up to the ratification vote on the FTA with Chile coming the 16th," he said. About Wednesday's protest from the party's younger generation, Hong said it was "imprudent" to issue demands "with only about 60 days before the National Assemble election and without prior discussion."
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Chairman of the Grand National Party(GNP), Choe Byung-yul, discussing the younger members of the GNP's calling on the party leadership to resign at a senior postholders' meeting the party headquarters Thursday. Floor leader Hong Sa-duck, who is sitting next to Choe, announced his intention to resign Thursday.
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Soon afterwards, party spokesman Park Jin also resigned. "I feel shame at having to rationalize and justify the party's position on voting to have former party chairman Suh Chung-won released from prison," said Park.
Party chairman Choe Byung-yul immediately returned their resignations, but the two men were unmoved. Some observers are saying their resignations is an attempt to fight against calls for the leadership to resign, while others still are saying it's a preemptive attempt to avoid calls for party leadership to bear responsibility for the current situation. Many are concerned that their resignations signal the start of major party unrest.
Conflict between the younger generation on the one hand and party leadership and party heavyweights on the other. Won Hee-ryong, who helped organize the statement issued by the younger faction, said during the meeting on which Hong later waked out, that the "crisis the party finds itself is too deep and the wound is too big." He kept up the pressure towards party leadership. "We have to produce visible programs that give hope to the people, including the party selection process, selling the party headquarters building, presidential campaign funds, issues on the national agenda, and others, and have a sense of crisis in pursuing these things. "
Five-term Assemblyman Kim Jong-ha announced he would not seek another term in the Assembly. "It can only be interpreted as an attempt to harm the party by breaking it and leaving when someone demands the chairman step down two months before the election," said Kim. "How can Future Solidarity, which accounts for only a handful of the party, call for the party chairman to step down and to hold a party convention when the National Election is coming up?" Future Solidarity is an organization of younger members of the GNP.
Party chairman Choe Byung-yul said he would "assume responsibility as party chairman" for the outcry resulting from the vote to release Suh Chung-won. "The party is in difficult straits, so I will work to fix things with swift resolve."
It was only Wednesday when Choe asked "why they are looking to me to assume responsibility and sacrifice myself?" In the course of a day, however, he has begun to take the situation seriously and has reportedly begun studying possible resolutions, including resolving what his position should be on his chairmanship. Deciding not to run in the April election is rumored to be one option under consideration.
(Peter Schroepfer, internetnews@chosun.com )
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