SOUTH KOREA'S MAJORITY PARTY LEADERSHIP QUITS... OH, ROH!

HatTip to Thomas. Well, after another across-the-board defeat, the Uri Party leadership quits. This can be considered a purposeful slap in the face of President Roh or just a silly sympathy move. Either way, it's a good thing for South Korea:)

Uri leaders quit en masse
Take responsibility for heavy defeat in latest by-elections

The Korea Herald
By Lee Sun-young

The Uri Party leadership stepped down en masse yesterday to take responsibility for the party's heavy defeat in Wednesday's by-elections, throwing the ruling camp into disarray.

"We have decided to resign from all leadership posts, accepting criticism from the public shown in the Oct. 26 by-elections," Uri Chairman Moon Hee-sang said.

An emergency leadership team will be formed to lead the party until it selects a new leader at a national convention.

Moon and other Uri top dogs have been under fire since their party was trounced in the by-elections by the largest opposition force, the Grand National Party. Uri failed to win a single seat out of 4 at stake. It was a painful replay of the humiliation they suffered in April's parliamentary and local by-elections where the party failed to land a single victory in 23 constituencies at stake.

The group resignation followed a party meeting yesterday where Uri lawmakers and executive party members argued fiercely over the fate of the current leadership. On the night of the by-election, Moon asked rank-and-file lawmakers to determine whether the current leadership should stay. (full article)