South Korea vote may take conservative turn
Advertiser News Services
SEOUL, South Korea — The election-eve collapse last night of a political marriage is seen likely to tip today's dead-heat South Korean presidential race to a hawkish conservative who has vowed to end South Korea's "sunshine policy" of friendship toward North Korea.
Associated Press
The 11th hour political drama left Roh Moo-hyun, who reportedly had a slight edge in the polls, scrambling to try to salvage his candidacy after his remarks last night that South Korea might be neutral if the United States fought North Korea.
Lee Hoi-chang
Roh Moo-hyun
Roh's remarks, suggesting abandonment of South Korea's long military alliance with and dependence on the United States, prompted the pullout of his official political partner, Chung Mong-joon.
"We retract our support," a spokeswoman for Chung said in a statement late last night. Roh's remarks were a "betrayal" of the agreed policy between the two former rivals, whose political union earlier this month had sharply boosted Roh's candidacy.
Until the bombshell announcement, today's election was seen as a close test between Roh, a former activist critical of the dominant U.S. influence here, and Lee Hoi-chang, a conservative who favors keeping American troops in South Korea and supports Washington's hard-line stance toward Pyongyang.
The election is billed as one in which voters will decide whether to set their country on a more independent course from the United States. The victor will replace Kim Dae-jung, the Nobel-winning president, whose term expires in February. Under South Korea's limit of a single five-year presidential term, Kim cannot run again.
Much of the campaign debate has centered on Roh's appeal for more national pride and a policy that is independent of the United States. Although Roh denied he wants to end the half-century alliance with Washington, which keeps 37,000 troops in South Korea, he said at a rally yesterday afternoon "we should proudly say we will not side with North Korea or the United States."
He amplified that at another rally last night, suggesting that in the event of a fight between North Korea and the United States, South Korea might attempt to moderate.
Aides to Lee were billing the development as a victory-clincher for their candidate.
The revelation that neighboring North Korea is attempting to develop nuclear weapons served to underscore the importance of the U.S. troops stationed in South Korea, adding to support for Lee.
Nevertheless, South Korea is experiencing a bout of anti-Americanism inspired by the acquittal last month of two soldiers who had been court-martialed on charges of negligent homicide in the deaths of two South Korean schoolgirls run over by a minesweeping vehicle.
In a country normally considered one of the United States' closest allies, an estimated 100,000 people participated in anti-American demonstrations Saturday. Grievances against the United States range from its policy toward Iraq and North Korea to the conduct of the U.S. troops stationed here.
The U.S. Embassy issued a warning yesterday to American citizens in South Korea to avoid large crowds, and U.S. troops were put under an extended curfew in the aftermath of two weekend attacks on military personnel.
The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times contributed to this report.
