Korean Asks Unity but Blasts Rival : Kim Young Sam Seeks to Prevent Split in Assembly Vote

Kim Young Sam, who finished second in the Dec. 16 presidential election, declared Wednesday that all opposition forces should unite in his Reunification Democratic Party to contest a National Assembly election next year.

Although presented as a call for unity, Kim’s declaration, made in a press conference at his home, amounted to an attack on his opposition rival, Kim Dae Jung, third-place finisher in the presidential race, whom he accused of responsibility for the victory of ruling-party candidate Roh Tae Woo.

Kim Dae Jung split away from Kim’s party to create the Party for Peace and Democracy and launch his own campaign.

Unity Around His Party

“Kim Dae Jung should recognize the fact that he quit the Reunification Democratic Party and turned away from efforts to field a single opposition candidate simply to enable him to run,” Kim Young Sam said. “It is in accord with reason and the people’s aspirations that the opposition camp be united around the Reunification Democratic Party.”

In an interview later in the day, Kim Young Sam said that his finish ahead of Kim Dae Jung in the presidential election--it was by only a single percentage point, 27.5% to 26.5%--showed that responsibility for splitting the opposition rested with Kim Dae Jung. Roh Tae Woo won with 36.6% of the vote.

“By the result of this election, people know who should have been the single opposition candidate,” Kim Young Sam said. “I am the winner in that regard.”

Kim Young Sam said at his press conference that he is not seeking a formal merger of the two parties.

“There is no time to follow the complicated procedures required for mergers,” he said. “The integration can be achieved when those who left the Reunification Democratic Party just return to their old home.”

Kim Young Sam’s statement drew sharp criticism from a spokesman for the Party for Peace and Democracy, who denounced it as “nonsense” and a “hollow political show” designed to boost Kim Young Sam’s image before a convention of his party planned for early January.

Sees Different Ideologies

Kim Dae Jung said that “the two parties speak for different social strata and subscribe to different ideologies. Their merger is out of the question.”

Kim Dae Jung has recently sought to portray Kim Young Sam’s party as conservative, and his own as moderately reformist.

According to South Korean press reports, however, some officials of the Party for Peace and Democracy expressed hope that the two opposition parties could coordinate their efforts in the legislative elections, which are expected to be held either in February or April.

The Party for Peace and Democracy is especially strong in the two Cholla provinces, Kim Dae Jung’s home region, while Kim Young Sam’s party is strongest in his native Kyongsang region. Officials of Kim Dae Jung’s party expressed hope that the two opposition groups would agree to improve their chances by refraining from running candidates in each other’s strongholds.

Kim Young Sam, in the interview, predicted that Roh will face difficulties after taking office because of two pledges he made at a Dec. 12 rally, in his last major speech of the campaign.

At that rally, Roh pledged that “all major past scandals will be stringently investigated” and dealt with “sternly.” He also pledged to submit to “an interim appraisal” by the people after the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. Roh told reporters later that day that if the appraisal, perhaps to be made through a national referendum, were negative, he would resign.

Roh’s pledge to investigate scandals is sensitive because a major scandal of the present administration involved the uncle of President Chun Doo Hwan’s wife. Also, reports are widespread that other Chun relatives have been involved in graft and corruption.

Sees Difficulty for Roh

Kim Young Sam said Wednesday that Roh would have difficulty keeping these promises, because Roh is personally close to Chun, but if he breaks them he will face the anger of the people.

In other developments Wednesday:

-- A riot policeman, Shin Sung Man, 45, died of burns suffered when hit by a gasoline firebomb during a Dec. 20 anti-government protest in the city of Kwangju. Shin’s death was the first reported from post-election violence.

-- Roh, as part of an effort to solidify support through meetings with civic leaders, visited Cardinal Kim Sou Hwan, one of the country’s most prominent religious leaders. The cardinal urged Roh to visit Kwangju in an attempt to heal the wounds left by the 1980 Kwangju uprising.

By official count, 194 people died in the anti-government uprising, which began when demonstrations were bloodily suppressed. Many opposition supporters believe that as many as 1,000 people died at the hands of government forces.