No end to the celebrations

All over the nation, supporters of Roh Moo-hyun celebrated his win in the presidential election yesterday. Workplaces, schools and the Internet were flooded with talk about the president-elect.

But celebrations were strongest in the Jeolla provinces, Mr. Roh's political base, where up to 95 percent of the people voted for him.

One restaurant in the Regent Hotel in Gwangju yesterday hung a banner reading, "Free lunch in commemoration of the new president." The restaurant offered free Korean dishes such as bulgogi and tteokguk to 600 people. Jo Chang-ho, 47, the owner of the restaurant, said, "I was so happy with Mr. Roh's winning the election that I decided to give the free lunches."

An ophthalmology hospital also in Gwangju gave away boiled eggs bearing stickers that read "Clear away the old politics." In the afternoon, employees of the hospital went onto the streets of central Gwangju to give away the eggs. "We arranged this event in a prayer that a new politics should arrive," said an employee of the hospital.

The village of Bongha in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang province, where Mr. Roh's birth home is located, has been crowded since early yesterday morning, filled with the people who wanted to see Mr. Roh's home. The nearby home of Mr. Roh's brother, where the brother still lives, was especially crowded with those who congratulating Mr. Roh's win. "We are arranging more foods and liquor to treat those who come to our village," said Lee Yong-hee, 51, the head of the village.

Taechang elementary school, where both Mr. Roh and his wife Ms. Kwon Yang-sook attended, held a special session yesterday to celebrate its famous alumni.

Teachers and students from Ms. Kwon's alma mater, Gyeseong Industry Information High School in Busan, cheered that it has produced a first lady. "Ms. Kwon finished all her coursework here," said Kim Jong-dae, assistant principal of the school. "But she did not receive her graduation certificate because she was not able to pay tuition." Nevertheless, he said the school plans to hold a celebration ceremony for Ms. Kwon.

The official home page of Mr. Roh, www.knowhow.or.kr, was flooded with more than 20,000 messages of encouraged and advice to the president-elect.

by Local News Desk