By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
The Democratic Labor Party (DLP) is seeking ways to shed its North Korea-friendly image.
At its national convention, slated for Feb. 3, party members will discuss measures to strip people engaged in pro-Pyongyang activities of their party membership and urge North Korea not to intervene in internal affairs.
However, members of the Ilsimhoe, known as a pro-Pyongyang group within the party and who may be deprived of party membership, criticized the proposals.
In the espionage scandal in 2005, group members, who allegedly leaked information on the labor party to North Korea, were arrested on charges of violating the National Security Law.
As party leadership confirmed its firm will to overhaul the existing image, the internal feud will likely get deeper.
``The proposed measures aim at reforming the party. Feb. 3 should be the day that we can be reborn as a stronger progressive party,'' said Rep. Sim Sang-jeong, acting chairwoman of the party.
The minor opposition party has suffered from internal feuding after its candidate Kwon Young-ghil was defeated in the Dec. 19 presidential election with three percent of the vote, lower than what he gained on his second run four years ago.
Even though party leaders resigned en masse, party members still blame each other, divided as two factions.
The smaller faction, which is more concentrated on labor issues, criticized the larger faction, called the independence group, for its biased political leaning, cornering the party into crisis.
The mainstream group, which takes a more critical stance toward the United States and is favorable toward North Korea, on the other hand, slammed the opponents, saying its groundless claim is disrupting the party.
Its members are also considering voting against the reform measures, while fewer group members threaten to leave the party to launch a new party opposing the reform measures.
Rep. Roh Hoe-chan, meanwhile, told reporters that he may leave the party if it fails to adopt the measures.
Party leader Sim denounced both sides, saying they are hindering the internal efforts to revamp the party.
The DLP currently holds nine seats in the 299-member unicameral legislature.
The left-leaning party, which gained 13.3 percent of support in 2004, now receives single digit support in opinion surveys.