(63)Former Kyonggi Governor Rhee In-je will launch a party by the middle of next month to support his presidential bid, Rhee's aides said yesterday.
Supporters of Rhee set up a campaign team Saturday, which will prepare for the establishment of the party. ``We plan to launch a preparatory committee early next month, in which figures from various walks of life will participate,'' said Ahn Yang-ro, a spokesman for Rhee.
(64)Ahn claimed that, ``a number of ranking ruling party officials, including several members of the largest Minju faction, will join Rhee's group late this month,'' when President Kim Young-sam hands over ruling party leadership to Lee Hoi-chang, chairman and presidential candidate of the party. The creation of the new party by Rhee will likely deal another serious blow to Lee Hoi-chang's campaign. The NKP's bid is already troubled by his plummeting popularity as, according to recent public surveys, Rhee shares much of the his support base with Lee.
(65)The projected party is also seen by politicians as a variable likely to affect the nation's political landscape ahead of the December poll. According to the latest opinion polls, Rhee is closely following the most popular contestant, main opposition leader Kim Dae-jung.
(66)Rhee's aides said that among those most likely to join Rhee's party are incumbent lawmakers and local chapter heads in the ruling party, including Reps. Kim Woon-hwan, Kim Hak-won and Won You-chul, who all supported Rhee's unsuccessful bid for the party's presidential candidacy in July. Reports have it that leaders of the Minju group such as Reps. Seo Seok-jae and Suh Chung-won, who are both close associates of President Kim, are also seriously considering backing Rhee's bid for the presidency.
(67)The Minju faction supported rivals of Lee Hoi-chang in July's nomination contest and has since been lukewarm in supporting Lee. Also, citing Lee's sagging popularity, a few senior officials of the ruling party are reportedly considering leaving the party to throw their weight behind Rhee, who has now emerged as the most serious challenger to front-running Kim Dae-jung.
(68)Rhee's group is also seeking to recruit some of Lee Hoi- chang's rivals in the July nomination competition, including former Prime Minister Lee Soo-sung and former presidential contender Park Chan-jong, according to Rhee's campaign staff. Rhee is making contacts with reformist politicians like popular former legislators Kim Won-ki, Lee Chull and Won Hei-yong to try to persuade them to join him.