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Some days ago one of my readers/visitors (or whatever..) asked - in connection to my latest contributions about the recent developments in and around the DLP - "Who cares?".. Well, at least the S.K. (bourgeois) media:

Labor Party Likely to Split Into Two (K. Times, 2.14)

The progressive Democratic Labor Party (DLP) will likely split as some lawmakers leading a major faction in the party have indicated they will soon leave the party.

DLP leaders are trying their utmost to patch up internal feuding over a party revamp plan and stop further desertions.

Reps. Sim Sang-jeong and Roh Hoe-chan had a closed-door meeting Wednesday night with about 40 party officials, who support their plan to deprive pro-North Korea party members of their membership.

As the proposal was rejected at a party convention on Feb. 3, they have agreed to create a separate party.

Most participants at the meeting said they needed to create a new party but argued over when to launch it, party sources said.

Some members claimed that they should form the party after the April 9 National Assembly elections because they need to take some time to consolidate the group.

Other members, however, insisted that the new party may not secure proportional seats if formed after the elections.

Sim and Roh, plan to announce their stance on whether or not to leave the DLP and create a new party by Sunday based on the results of the meeting.

Amid escalating speculation over a breakup, Rep. Chun Young-se, who is temporarily leading the party after Sim resigned, is scheduled to discuss ways to stop this with other party leaders next Wednesday.

However, his efforts will not likely stop further mass desertions.

A group of 145 have already relinquished their party membership, fueling the breakup.

The deserters who belonged to the party's Incheon district, said in a statement, ``The three percent of the vote that the DLP received in December's presidential election shows that the people wanted a radical change and revamping. But the party has refused to accept these calls.''

They also forecast consecutive desertion of party members while stressing that they will help create a new progressive party to protect social minorities.

The party which has nine seats in the 299-member Assembly has suffered from conflicts between two major factions since DLP candidate Kwon Young-gill was defeated in the presidential race last December.

The factional feud reached a climax after mainstreamers vetoed the party reform plan, of which a major bone of contention was whether or not to remove people engaged in pro-Pyongyang activities from party membership.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/02/113_18940.html

Related stuff:  

☞ Massive Collective Defection from the DLP (NewsCham, 1.23/2.11)

☞ Democratic Labor Party's Strategy of Siding with Kim Jong Il (DailyNK, 2.11)