Lee Urged to Mend Fences With Park
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
Former President Kim Young-sam said Saturday that the chances for the governing party winning the next presidential election will be higher, if the incumbent President and a presidential hopeful have a good working relationship.
``I think the two sides need to make efforts to make their relations work,'' Kim said during a meeting with a group of lawmakers of the Grand National Party (GNP).
His advice came after Rep. Kweon Seong-dong asked what lesson Kim learned from his pick of Rep. Lee Hoi-chang, who ran unsuccessfully in the 1997 presidential election on the ruling party's ticket, as its candidate.
Lee, who unsuccessfully ran in the presidential race three times, now leads the Liberty Forward Party.
``In 1997 shortly before the presidential election, Lee asked me to abandon my party membership. And I left the party. After that, Lee lost the election,'' he said.
Kim's remark was construed as meaning that part of the reason for the loss was because he failed to get full support from the then President.
Back in 1997, support for Lee sharply dropped after his two sons were alleged to have conspired to avoid mandatory military service.
As his popularity plummeted, rumors had it that Kim was considering replacing the presidential candidate with Rhee In-je, a former governor of Gyeonggi Province.
Indignant over the widespread rumor, Lee criticized Kim for the alleged attempt, urging him to keep his hands out of party affairs and leave the party.
The former President's observation on Saturday came as different views about the future of Sejong City have led to clashes between President Lee Myung-bak and former GNP Chairwoman Park Geun-hye.
Former President Kim recommended that the ruling camp consider a referendum to end the debate over the contentious project.
``The National Assembly nor the GNP will be able to reach consensus on the matter, no matter what efforts they make. I think the only way they can solve the problem is to go for a referendum and let the public decide it,'' he said.