Is ¡®DJP Pact¡¯ an empty promise?

Oct. 27 marks the day in 1997 of a late-night visit by the then-presidential candidate for the People's National Party Kim Dae-Jung to the home of the United Liberal Democratic Party candidate Kim Jong-Pil for the "DJP Pact," as they faced the upcoming election.

However, the agreement for horizontal administrative hand-off during the term, which was the basis of the pact, seems to have become a forgettable thing of the past.

As of late, the "cooperation" and "solidarity" between Kim Dae-Jung's Millennium Democratic Party and Kim Jong-Pil's ULD has been shamefully nonexistent.

The unprecedented combination of "DJ-President, JP-Prime Minister" union to lead the joint ruling coalition following their rise to office has in fact collapsed.

For the relationship between the two parties, which began teetering last year with the hold-off of the constitutional revision for a power hand-off to prime minister, the ULD has announced its stance as an opposition party for the upcoming April 13 election and has overturned the political landscape.

Although the two parties partially narrowed their differences with the appointment of Lee Han-Dong as prime minister, the gap became wider due to the discord concerning the National Assembly Law revision.

Recently, the ULD has been unrestrained in its verbal attacks on the ruling party. The ULD has vehemently criticized the government¡¯s policy toward North Korea and has remarked sarcastically, "Is it time for the Nobel Moral Hazard Award?" in connection with the Dongbang Mutual Savings and Finance Co. loan scandal.

As the two parties face the three-year anniversary of the DJP Pact, neither has planned any formal celebration or reviews of the unprecedented system. Furthermore, Kim Jong-Pil largely has been refusing a request for meetings by Kim Dae-Jung. Instead, the two parties have been more focused on psychological warfare concerning the statement made by the MDP Chairman Suh Young-Hoon on Oct. 26 concerning the Oct. 26 Assassination of President Park Jung-Hee 21 years ago.

"It could be considered an act that prevented greater harm and sacrifice," MDP chairman Suh said in connection with the assassination of President Park Jung-Hee by Kim Jae-Kyu.

His statement touched off the sensitivity of Kim Jong-Pil, who returned home from the morning memorial service held in honor of the late President Park.

Although Suh later categorized his statement as being a "reiteration of a news article he had read" and explained, "It does not in anyway support that 'Kim Jae-Kyu is innocent,'" the cat was already out of the bag.

"It is an act of gross irresponsibility for the chairman of the ruling party to idealize the Oct. 26 assassination and hint at a possibility of innocence for a convicted assassin," ULD assistant spokesperson Yoo Un-Young said.

Lee Chol-Hi klimt@donga.com