Kim Jong-pil, an enduring political figure in Korean history, has signaled he will leave the ruling Saenuri Party, his aide said Wednesday, sparking speculation over how his decision will affect April's general elections.
The 86-year-old Kim joined President Lee Myung-bak's conservative party, then the Grand National Party, in December 2007 to support Lee's campaign and has since served as the party's senior advisor.
Party officials said they hope to persuade Kim not to quit ahead of the April polls, wary of the potential impact of his departure on the elections when approval ratings for the party are already low among its core conservative supporters.
The veteran politician's aides did not elaborate on why he has decided to leave the party.
Kim started out as a military officer and served as the nation's first intelligence chief in the early 1960s. He supported late President Park Chung-hee in his military coup to take over government in 1961 and served as prime minister from 1971 through 1975, becoming the youngest premier of Korea.
Kim led the now defunct United Liberal Democrats, a conservative party whose main political base was in Chungcheong Province, in the 1990s and early 2000s and supported late President Kim Dae-jung's successful 1997 campaign.
Kim Jong-pil again served as prime minister in the Kim Dae-jung administration from 1998 to 2000, earning the nickname of "No. 2 power" in a country where the role is usually largely ceremonial. (Yonhap)