White House said to see Roh win as anti-U.S. sign

In a commentary on last Thursday's presidential election victory by Roh Moo-hyun of the Millennium Democratic Party, an international consultancy said the Bush administration is concerned that Mr. Roh's win is a signal of a growing tide of anti-U.S. sentiment here.

The Nielsen Report, a periodical on global issues published by Samuel International, reported in its Friday edition that President George W. Bush and his advisers had hoped that the more conservative Lee Hoi-chang, the Grand National Party candidate, would win the election.

The article cast Mr. Roh's victory in the same light as recent election results in favor of candidates in Germany and Brazil, considered to be anti-American.

Publicly the White House congratulated Mr. Roh and stressed the importance of Washington-Seoul relations. The Nielsen Report added that, though the Bush team may not be ready to give Mr. Roh a standing ovation, it should give the president-elect a chance before dismissing him as anti-U.S.

The Report also speculated that the Bush team is struggling with differences of opinion on how to handle the issue of North Korean nuclear arms. The article said Mr. Bush must find a way to alter his North Korea policy without giving up too much.

by Choi Won-Ki