Kim pledges fair elections

Press, 15 July 1987, Page 8

Kim pledges fair elections

NZPA-Reuter Seoul

The new South Korean Prime Minister, Kim Chung-yul, pledged yesterday to hold fair elections this year to choose a successor to President Chun Doo Hwan, but critics questioned whether Mr Kim’s Cabinet could play the impartial role that Mr Chun promised. Mr Chun carried out a big Cabinet reshuffle on Monday, making Mr Kim Prime Minister and dropping Ministers concurrently holding rulingparty membership so as to give the Government an image of political neutrality.

“I will do my utmost to hold fair elections and make them a model in our history,” Mr Kim said. The premier said South Korea was now an

"historic turning point” and ordered his Cabinet to give priority to overseeing a free, fair vote. The main opposition Reunification Democratic Party (R.D.P.), however, attacked Mr Chun for failing to form an impartial cabinet “There are no neutral figures among the new appointees,” said an R-D.P. spokesman. The leading daily, “Chosun Hbo,” said in an editorial: “In a word, President Chun’s Cabinet shake-up failed to meet the people’s expectations.” “Chosun Ilbo” echoed the R.D.P. spokesman in criticising Mr Chun for naming to the Cabinet “people who have not experienced neutrality transcending party politics.”

The reshuffle, affecting the Prime Minister and eight other Ministers, followed Mr Chun’s July I pledge to allow a direct popular poll this year under a package of democratic reforms introduced after nearly three weeks of street protests against his “military dictatorship.” Kim Young-sam, R.D.P. president, said he found the reshuffle a disappointment and added: “If the ruling and opposition sides can agree on a new constitution next month, we (the opposition) will launch a campaign calling for a caretaker cabinet” By this, Kim Youngsam, who on Monday proposed putting a draft constitution to a national referendum by September 20, meant an interim ad-

ministration made up of representatives of both camps. This would oversee the holding of the presidential vote. Mr Kim, aged 69, who served as Air Force chief-of-staff, Defence Minister in the 1950 s under President Syngman Rhee and ambassador to Washington in the Government of Park Chung-hee, has never been associated with the opposition. Meanwhile, the man who urged the reform package on Mr Chun, the ruling Democratic Justice Party chief, Roh Tae-woo, yesterday changed his party’s secretary-general and parliamentary leader to give the party a more civilian look and “renew its image so that we can press ahead with democratic reforms." Mr Roh is Mr Chun’s choice to succeed him. j