According to Kim's memoir, Park tried to persuade Kim to support the constitutional amendment that would allow him to seek a third term in office. Kim quoted Park as saying, "Let me have one more chance to finish what I've started. The next chance will be yours. I just want one more term in office. "

On Sept. 13, 1969, a bill allowing a third presidential term signed by 122 lawmakers, including those of the DRP, was submitted to a plenary session of the National Assembly. Their number was already larger than the minimum required for the passage of a constitutional amendment.

Opposition lawmakers had been staging a sit-in in the parliament's main hall to block the ruling party from passing the bill. At 2:30 a.m. on Sept. 14, the 122 lawmakers stealthily walked to the parliament's third annex building nearby, where they wrapped up the vote in just five minutes, railroading the constitutional bill through the house.

After delivering a speech in support of the New Democratic Party's presidential candidate Kim Dae-jung on April 10, 1971, NDP lawmaker Kim Young-sam (right) holds Kim Dae-jung's hand during the campaign tour for the seventh presidential election in Busan.

The house speaker used the lid of a kettle, instead of a gavel, to strike the table. In a national referendum on Oct. 17, 65.1 percent of the voters supported the new Constitution. Many experts at the time concluded that was not exactly overwhelming support.

Right after the constitutional bill went through the house, the opposition was taken over by a new generation of leaders. On Nov. 8, New Democratic Party floor leader Kim Young-sam stressed the importance of young leaders in their 40s becoming “standard-bearers." He called for a revival of democracy, which he said was “on the brink of death." He implied that he wanted to become his party's presidential candidate.

Kim Dae-jung declared his own candidacy on Jan. 24 the following year, and Lee Chul-sung followed suit on Feb. 12. At the time, Kim Young-sam was 43, Kim Dae-jung 44, and Lee 48. Both Kims were to become president much later.

NDP president Yoo Young-pil, also known as Yoo Jin-san, disparaged them. "They still smell of their mothers' milk,” he said. But Yoo was unable to prevent the Young Turks from pushing for reform of the weak opposition party.

On Sept. 29, 1970, the democratic presidential nomination convention for the NDP was held, a first for Korean political parties. Kim Young-sam came first but failed to win a clear majority in the first round. After a swift behind-the-scenes deal with Lee Chul-sung, Kim Dae-jung won a dramatic come-from-behind victory and took his party's nomination for president.

In the seventh presidential election in April 1971, Kim Dae-jung finished closely behind Park Chung-hee and performed remarkably well. Although there was government interference in the election, Park won only by a narrow margin of 950,000 votes. During his campaign tours, Park had said, "I'll never ask you to vote for me again."

Did he really mean it? Did he say it just because he was already considering declaring a state of emergency and introducing the new "Yushin (revitalizing)” Constitution in October 1972? Did he say it because he was considering having electoral delegates packing a gymnasium in Seoul elect him president for yet another term later? History is silent on the question.

(englishnews@chosun.com )