South Korea Old Friends

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Chun's designated political heir is described as somewhat less imposing than the confident and unbending leader who anointed him. Says one insider: "If you meet Chun for 30 minutes, he speaks for 25 and listens to you for five. In the case of Roh, he will probably speak for five minutes and listen the rest of the time." Indeed, Roh is so cautious that Opposition Leader Kim Young Sam once described his political style as "like walking on a thinly frozen lake."

After his selection by Chun, Roh reacted with seeming reluctance. "Now that this is the fate I cannot avoid facing," he told reporters, "I will devote all my body and soul to the mission." Even so, South Koreans speculated that Roh would need a lot of help from behind the scenes, help that his old friend Chun would be more than happy to provide.