Roh Moo-hyun, the presidential candidate of the pro-government Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) defeated Chung Mong-joon, his counterpart of the National Alliance 21, in a South Korean presidential candidacy runoff in the small hours of Monday.
According to the national news agency Yonhap News, in a public survey conducted by Research & Research, Roh won 46.8 percent of the vote while Chung secured 42.2 percent.
The opinion poll was conducted after the two main candidates held television debates on Nov. 23.
Roh and Chung agreed to form alliance and field a unified candidate from them to face challenge of the biggest opposition Grand National Party's presidential candidate Lee Hoi-chang on Nov.16.
The two pledged to choose a candidate from them through television debates and opinion polls among ordinary citizens.
Once the poll result announced, Chung admitted defeat and vowed to help Roh to win December's presidential election, said Yonhap.
South Korea will elect its new president on Dec. 19. President Kim Dae-jung will end his term in February 2003.
(Xinhua News Agency November 25, 2002)
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