Calling for Choe's immediate resignation, to be followed by the formation of an emergency committee, the lawmakers said, "As party head, Choe Byung-yul cannot solve the threat of collapse our party currently faces."

16 younger GNP lawmakers, including former party secretary general Lee Jae-oh, calling for the resignation of party head Choe Byung-yul at a hotel in Yoido on Wednesday.

They said the emergency committee would convene a pan-party dialogue, select new leadership, and called for the National Assembly elections to be handled under a new structure.

The lawmakers plan to convey their demands directly to Choe at Gimpo Airport when the GNP chairman arrives from Daegu, where he took part in one year anniversary ceremonies for the Daegu subway arson tragedy.

At first, only a few lawmakers like Won Hee-ryong had called for Choe's resignation, but with the support of about more 10 legislators, the calls are growing rapidly.

On Tuesday, Choe denied responsibility for the party's state of affairs during a debate before the press, saying that the current crisis his party faces is the responsibility of former party head Lee Hoi-chang. Attention is now focusing on how the GNP chairman will react to the junior lawmakers' calls for his resignation.

(Ahn Yong-gyun, agon@chosun.com )