Korean Leader Calls for Liberal Parties to Unite on Poll

Korean Leader Calls for Liberal Parties to Unite on Poll: "Monday May 28, 9:47 AM " Korean Leader Calls for Liberal Parties to Unite on Poll SEOUL, May 28 Asia Pulse - With presidential polls giving an unwavering lead to conservative contenders, former president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kim Dae-jung renewed his call Saturday for liberal parties to unite and produce a joint candidate for December's election. An alliance drive has been under way for months between the pro-government Uri Party, the minor opposition Democratic Party and other splinter forces to launch a new combined party by June, targeting the major opposition party, which controls the polls. But the deadline approached with little progress in disputes on power sharing. The former president, who remains an influential figure for liberals, has held a series of meetings with liberal contenders and party leaders over the past few weeks, which insiders saw as his message pressing for a quick result in the merger drive. The upcoming election will be a critical moment for Kim's primary goal in his political career - reconciliation with North Korea - as the conservative Grand National Party (GNP) has been a forthright critic of his "sunshine" policy and sought a tougher stance on the North's nuclear weapons program and human rights conditions. "The people are now drawn into the issue of whether the pan-liberal camp can achieve the alliance or not," Kim said in a meeting with Chung Dong-young, a former unification minister and presidential hopeful with the Uri Party. While some liberals have become increasingly pessimistic on the prospect of winning the next presidency, Kim said the current conservative dominance would be subject to change once the liberal parties launched a combined party and nominated their joint candidate. Polls give a huge lead to the two rival GNP hopefuls. Former Seoul Mayor Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, a former GNP chairwoman, enjoy approval ratings of about 40 per cent and more than 20 per cent, respectively. On the liberal side, Sohn Hak-kyu, a former Gyeonggi Province governor and an independent, ranks a distant third with around 5 per cent, while a flock of Uri Party contenders, including Chung, strives with insignificant figures around 1 or 2 per cent. The reason for the conservative dominance is that "there are no matches yet to hold their fists against. It is a difficult time for everybody, but the clock is ticking. I'm expecting you (liberal parties) to make a good decision," he said. Kim also renewed his call on President Roh Moo-hyun to hold a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. He said the inter-Korean summit was essential to keep momentum for reconciliation and also to help resolve the tension over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program, while Roh said he will meet Kim only when the nuclear issue has progressed. Kim received the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize after holding an unprecedented summit with the North Korean leader that year. (Yonhap)