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 Friday, 20 December, 2002, 14:56 GMT
South Korea's Roh makes US pledge
South Korean solider reads a newspaper the day after Roh Moo-hyun's election victory, 20 Dec 2002
The new president has criticised US policy
South Korea's president-elect has vowed to build on efforts to engage with North Korea, saying he would work closely with the US to peacefully resolve concerns over the Stalinist state's nuclear ambitions.

I will do my best to ease the tension on the Korean peninsula

Roh Moo-hyun
Roh Moo-hyun also said that policy towards the US would "not be much different" from that of the current government, playing down talk he was critical of Washington.

Speaking a day after his victory, Mr Roh said he hoped to meet soon with US President George Bush. He also hoped for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

Roh Moo-hyun
Roh Moo-hyun visits the National Cemetery in Seoul after his victory (AP photo)
Born into a peasant family, went on to study law
As a human rights advocate, was once jailed under the Chun Doo-hwan dictatorship
Made a name for himself in parliament as an anti-corruption campaigner
The White House said President Bush had spoken with Mr Roh on Friday to congratulate him and invite him to visit the US once he has taken office.

Mr Roh appears to have won support from young voters for his policy of opposing US efforts to isolate North Korea over its suspected nuclear weapons programme.

"I will do my best to ease the tension on the Korean peninsula, which is clouded by North Korea's nuclear issue," he told a news conference on Friday.

He also said he would press for changes in the agreement governing the 37,000 US troops based in South Korea, following anti-US protests at the acquittal by a US court martial of two US soldiers tried for negligent homicide over the road deaths of two teenage girls in June.

But he said nothing would be "drastically changing" and called for a "mature" relationship with the US.

Washington's reaction

Mr Roh, of the governing Millennium Democratic Party, beat his conservative rival Lee Hoi-chang, by 2.3 percentage points, taking 48.9% of the vote.

Defeated presidential candidate Lee Hoi-chang wiping away tears
Lee Hoi-chang appealed to older voters
Mr Lee was seen as closer to Washington than Mr Roh, and backed the US policy of freezing dialogue with North Korea until Pyongyang dismantled its nuclear programme.

Mr Roh said during the campaign that he would not "kow tow" to Washington.

The White House said President Bush "warmly congratulates" Mr Roh, as the US State Department dismissed Mr Roh's anti-US talk as "made in the heat of the campaign".

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi also sent Mr Roh his "heartfelt congratulations".

Mr Lee, who also narrowly lost the 1997 election, on Friday declared his retirement, after apologising to his Grand National Party.

"Now I am going out of politics," Mr Lee, 67, said in a tearful farewell speech.

The new president will formally take office in February, when President Kim Dae-jung, limited to one five-year term under the constitution, steps down.

  WATCH/LISTEN
  ON THIS STORY
  The BBC's Caroline Gluck in Seoul
"People have high expectations of the man"

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14 Dec 02 | Asia-Pacific
22 Nov 02 | Asia-Pacific
19 Dec 02 | Asia-Pacific
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