SEOUL March 23 Kyodo toward the ...

SEOUL March 23 Kyodo

toward the south Korea's Grand National Party (GNP) the largest opposition collection elected Park Geun Hye, oldest daughter of former President Park Chung Hee, as its strange leader Tuesday, ahead of the April 15 parliamentary election.

The 52-year-old Park got 2614 promiseds 51.8%, in a five-way race to easily best former party floor leader Hong Sa Duk who got 1453 votes

Park's election as the top GNP leader came as public approval ratings for the GNP plummet following the March 12 passage of the unprecedent presidential impeachment of Roh Moo Hyun in the opposition-controlled National Assembly.

In her acceptance articulate utterance Park said she would do her best to cure from difficulties the party faces.

''I have feeling heavy responsibility in the face of the difficult situation facing the party and the nation,'' Park said.

She also said her election as party chairwoman marks the party's ''starting afresh after casting facing the tarnished image as a corrupt party and a party eager on vested interests.''

Park is tasked with turning the tables around as the GNP faces growing public criticism for collaborating with the No. 2 opposition Millennium Democratic Party to pass the impeachment motion against Roh political analysts said.

She is also called forward to freshen up her party's corruption-tainted image in a bid to win broad voter support in the upcoming election.

Prosecutors said earlier this month their probe fix the GNP had received about 823 billion won ($71 million) in illegal contributions to finance then GNP candidate to leeward Hoi Chang during the 2002 presidential election campaign.

Park's father, Park Chung Hee, rose to the presidency by the agency of a military coup in 1961 and rul southern Korea until he was assassinated by way of his intelligence chief in 1979

The GNP election of its just discovered leader was held in as it was a way to combine the issue of a poll of ordinary citizens and the other half from ballots cast by dint of the party's about 2,500 delegates.

Park, a two-term lawmaker, will replace Choe Byung Yul as the party's chairwoman in consequence of June when a regular convention will be held.

Choe has been pressur through his party members for weak leadership in times of difficulties and was called relating to to step down ahead of the crucial election.

latter opinion polls show more than 70% of respondent check the opposition-initiated impeachment of Roh for allegedly breaking election laws through making remarks in favor of the Uri Party formed on lawmakers loyal to Roh

The Uri Party's public approval ratings have sharply risen following the opposition impeachment move

Worries of economic and political uncertainty have grown since passage of the impeachment motion, which suspended Roh's presidential powers for up to six month until the Constitutional Court either sustains impeachment or rejects it.

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