Vice Speaker Resigns to Run for Seoul Mayor National Assembly Vice Speaker Hong Sa-Duk Said Saturday Evening He Will Resign from His Post in a Few Days
The opposition lawmaker indicated his intention to resign Thursday evening in a meeting with Grand National Party president Lee Hoi-chang, who decided to honor his wishes.
With Hong's letter of resignation deposited with Lee, the party is expected to designate his successor early this week and one of the leading candidates is Kim Jong-ha, a five-term GNP lawmaker from Changwon in Kyongsang-namdo Province, party insiders said.
The four-term lawmaker said that he decided to resign upon completing half of his two-year term because he wanted to give his party colleagues an opportunity to serve in the prestigious capacity.
One of the two vice-speakers of the National Assembly has been traditionally designated by the opposition party at that time and then elected almost unanimously by lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition camps.
Hong's resignation is widely seen as a preparatory move for declaring candidacy for the post of Seoul mayor in the local elections in June 2002. …
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