President Kim Quits DMP Today

President Kim Dae-Jung is slated to quit the Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) on May 6. President Kim, along with the defection, is reportedly to announce a public statement, which would contain a direct apology of own sons` issues to the nation, a neutral electoral management, and a will to devote in state affairs.

A high official of the Blue House said on May 5, `President Kim decided to relinquish MDP party membership to keep his repeated promise to devote only in state affairs, and relayed his decision to chairman of MDP Han Hwa-Kap through chief presidential secretary Park Jie-Won,` and added, `President Kim will submit his party membership resignation form to MDP through presidential secretary for political affairs Cho Sun-Yong during the 6th of May.

President Kim will reportedly issue apology directly to the nation on scandals of his sons, promise strict application of national laws and principles to his sons, and pledge a political neutrality and strict electoral management through the devotion to state affairs.

President Kim will also urge for `political truce` to the opposition and ruling camps as the nation faces the World Cup finals.

In addition, President Kim is likely to declare his will to manage the general election fairly when he invites the GNP presidential candidate who will be decided finally on May 9. Some ministers who are the registered MDP member are reportedly going to relinquish the party memberships sooner than later.

President Kim resigned the MDP chairmanship on November 8 last year during MDP reform movement, but remained as a party member since then.

In relation to this, GNP spokesperson Nam Kyung-Pil claimed in a comment, `We will keep watching as this could be a camouflaged defection to turn over the current situation so that the image of equaling DMP to DJ party may be somewhat erased and the crisis following various power elite irregularities could be averted,` and added,` The president should not try to mislead the people with a cheap cheating.`

He said, `Party defection leaving intact chief presidential secretary Park Jie-Won and director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) Shin Kuhn is not a defection,` and urged, `When the president wants to quit in its true meaning, he should accept the emergency neutral cabinet composition, along with declarations of non-political interference, fair management of two major elections, and firm will to wipe out irregularities.`

Spokesperson Chung Jin-Seok of the United Liberal Democrats (ULD) criticized the president, `Defection at this juncture is an irresponsible action throwing out the official duty.`

Chol-Hi Lee klimt@donga.com