By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
Rep. Lee Kye-ahn bolted from the liberal United New Democratic Party (UNDP) Tuesday, saying he will not seek re-election in the upcoming general elections.
His decision, following the desertion of three other legislators brought the number of the UNDP seats in the 299-member National Assembly to 138.
Party officials expressed worry that they may trigger domino-like defection of the remaining UNDP lawmakers.
``I will leave the party and will not run in the 18th Assembly elections. I think this is the only way to meet the public sentiment shown in December's presidential election,'' Lee told reporters.
Even though he did not detail his plan, he said he will carry out what he has conceived before he won the Assembly seat in 2003.
Lee, who worked as CEO of Hyundai Motor and president of Hyundai Card and Hyundai Capital Services, joined the now-defunct governing Uri Party, the de facto predecessor of the UNDP, same year.
On Dec. 19, UNDP candidate Chung Dong-young was defeated by the Grand National Party's Lee Myung-bak with the largest ever margin of 22.6 percentage points.
Following the crushing defeat, the party saw an internal feud between legislators who blamed each other for the election result.
As the conflict deepened, UNDP Supreme Council member Kim Han-gill announced on Jan. 6 he would not seek re-election in the April 9 general elections and will retire from politics taking responsibility for the defeat.
Reps. Ahn Young-keun and Sim Jae-duck deserted the embattled party, on Jan. 4 and 7, respectively, hinting that they may join other parties including the Creative Korea Party led by former presidential candidate Moon Kook-hyun.
Former Gyeonggi Gov. Sohn Hak-kyu was elected as UNDP chairman to revamp its organization and achieve internal unity. But former Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan, known as a confidant to President Roh Moo-hyun left the party on Jan. 10, in protest against the election of Sohn, a former official of the conservative GNP, as party leader.
Sohn, considered a middle-of-the-road politician, left the GNP last March.
Even though the new chairman is seeking cohesion in the party, rumors still have it that some UNDP lawmakers based in the Chungcheong provinces may leave the party and join a new conservative party, tentatively named ``Liberty New Party.''
The new party, which will be officially launched early next month, is led by third-ranked presidential candidate Lee Hoi-chang and Chungcheong-based politician Sim Dae-pyung.