Two Chungs` meeting in Japan gaining attention

Attention is being drawn to an encounter between estranged former and present opposition leaders vying for the political status as successor to late liberal President Kim Dae-jung as they are scheduled to attend memorial ceremonies for Kim in Japan.

Rep. Chung Sye-kyun, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party, and Rep. Chung Dong-young, former party leader who also ran as the party`s presidential candidate against President Lee Myung-bak, left for Japan on different flights yesterday. The two will give a memorial address at the events that will be organized in Tokyo today and in Osaka tomorrow.

The two Chungs have maintained a rather bitter relationship since the DP rejected the former presidential candidate`s request to rejoin the party. Instead of granting him the party`s candidacy to enable him to return to the National Assembly, party leaders called him a traitor and many reform-minded members raised concerns that his return will intensify power struggles.



In particular, DP Chairman Chung continues to keep a cautious stance involving the other Chung`s comeback, considering the fact that he is still one of the most popular politicians in the southwest, a region the main opposition party cannot overlook.

Rep. Chung Dong-young, however, returned to the parliament by getting elected as an independent lawmaker in a constituency in North Jeolla Province in the past April by-elections.

The meeting comes at a time when the liberals are wondering who will take the baton from Kim, who was a profound source of their legitimacy. Kim was the center of gravity, meaning that he mediated and directed when liberals spiraled into fights.

Kim also commanded an enormous influence on voters in southwestern provinces, which is where his hometown and the DP`s stronghold are.

It is yet unsure if the two Chung`s will exchange any idea regarding Chung Dong-young`s comeback during the overseas trip since they are expected to follow different schedules, excluding the attendance at Kim`s two-day memorial ceremony.

Chung Sye-kyun met with Kwon Chul-hyun, Korean ambassador to Japan, and influential Japanese politician Ozawa Ichiro to discuss current diplomatic issues, including the North`s nuclear capabilities, in Tokyo, yesterday. He will also conduct an interview with Asahi Shimbun and also take part in a dinner event later today to listen to the voices of the Korean community in Japan.

Chung Dong-young, on the other hand, will meet with Okada Katsuya, who is the secretary general of the Democratic Party of Japan, today to talk about the current issues surrounding the peninsula as well as how to solve the North Korea`s nuke situation.

The two lawmakers will then return to Seoul on Sunday.

(sharon@heraldm.com)



By Cho Ji-hyun