Nuclear ambitions may sway Korean vote

FEARS of North Korean nuclear ambitions could determine South Korea’s presidential election today , with one main candidate advocating a tough line on the North, while his rival espouses a more conciliatory approach.

Security concerns on the divided Korean Peninsula vaulted to the forefront of campaign debate last week when North Korea declared that it would revive a frozen nuclear plant previously suspected of being used to make weapons.

The vote could also turn on attitudes toward Seoul's main ally the United States, whose 37,000-strong military force in South Korea has been the target of widespread outrage in recent weeks.

Protests erupted after the acquittals in US military courts of two GIs whose armoured vehicle hit and killed two South Korean girls last June.

Pro-government candidate Roh Moo-hyun, a former human rights lawyer who has demanded a more "equal" relationship with the US, was slightly ahead of opposition leader Lee Hoi-chang in polls yesterday . By law, President Kim Dae-jung cannot run again.

Commentators believe Roh could benefit at the ballot box from surging anti-US sentiment, which is more common among young people.

Lee is viewed as more closely aligned with the US administration, which has said North Korea must first abandon nuclear activity before any talks.

North Korea is just one issue affecting the campaign, but the race is close enough that it could play a role in the outcome.

"North Korea's nuclear programmes must be stopped, and inter-Korean relations should be dealt with on the basis of reciprocity," Lee said yesterday at the headquarters of his Grand National Party, which has a majority in the National Assembly.

A former Supreme Court judge, Lee is a fierce critic of Kim Dae-jung's "sunshine" policy of engaging North Korea.

The approach helped win a Nobel Peace Prize for Kim, but conservatives point to North Korea's clandestine nuclear development as a sign that the totalitarian state duped its neighbour.