For Roh, childhood offers a touchstone for policies

Born the youngest of five children in a small village in Gimhae-gun, South Gyeongsang province, Roh Moo-hyun once described his childhood as "so poor even the crows left crying because there was nothing to eat."

A self-educated man, he passed the national judiciary examination in 1975, nine years after graduating from Busan Commercial High School. After 10 years as a lawyer working mostly on human rights cases, he won a seat in the National Assembly representing Busan in 1988.

From then on he was a member of the political parties led by President Kim Dae-jung. In 2001, after losing in his bid for a fourth term in the assembly, he became a standing adviser to the Millennium Democratic Party. Perhaps because of his loss in the 2000 general election, he was considered a long shot to win the party primaries when they started in March.

In his speech Saturday, accepting the party's presidential nomination, he emphasized social welfare and equality, called for economic growth and a narrowing of the gap between rich and poor.

Mr. Roh proposed strengthening the prime minister's authority over each ministry and the appointment of cabinet members as a way out of Korea's "imperial president system." He also vowed to personally visit companies to help solve labor-ma-nagement disputes.

He confirmed his belief that Seoul should lead efforts in dialogue with North Korea in close coordination with Washington. But he also said he would keep a greater distance from the United States than past administrations. "I'll visit the United States if I have business there, or maybe if I have free time. But I won't go there just for political photo opportunities," he said.

Political insiders said Mr. Roh's policy stances may still be fine-tuned by the party, but the opinions he expressed in his speech will likely form the base of his campaign platform.

by Song Sang-hoon