Top aide of South Korean ex-leader Roh Moo-hyun to run for president

A former human rights lawyer and close ally of late president Roh Moo-hyun has vowed to push for a summit with North Korea if he becomes South Korea's next president in the December polls.

Moon Jae-in, who won the main opposition Democratic United Party's (DUP) nomination for presidential candidate yesterday, is best known as a top aide to ex-president Roh, who committed suicide in 2009 amid a graft probe.

Formerly a pro-democracy activist who was jailed in the 1970s for protesting against military rule, Moon, 59, has impeccable liberal credentials that helped him unify disparate opposition groups into the DUP last year.

A popular public figure, he had previously steered clear of electoral politics despite having served in the top echelons of government. He was one of the most influential figures in Roh's administration, rising to become his chief of staff.

Political observers and chief of the Institute of Presidential Leadership, Choi Jin, said: "[Moon] is projected as a nice guy with a soft look. But the question is whether he is able to emerge from Roh's shadow and convince voters that he could become a strong leader."

Moon has made it clear that he favours closer ties with North Korea and would reverse incumbent President Lee Myung-Bak's policy of linking economic assistance to progress in discussions on Pyongyang's nuclear programme.