Roh said that his close aide that is involved in a scandal, Ahn Hee-jeong who heads the Millennium Democratic Party's National Strategy Research Institute, is not a victim of his own greed, but is suffering because of Roh. Without taking responsibility for the scandal, the president apologized to the people and expressed his difficult position.

The president affirmed his intention to end the conglomerates' dominance over the nation's financial capital, which was one of the planks of his presidential campaign. Roh said that the matter was more important than distinguishing between domestic and foreign capital.

In regard to the possibility of another inter-Korean summit, Roh showed no intention to push for one until North Korea and the United States solve the nuclear issue. He said that unless Pyongyang makes compromises, talks with Kim Jong Il are of no use.

Roh also said that the relocation of U.S. troops here is not simply a problem between Korea and the United States, but one involving the world and Northeast Asian strategy. The problem is people's perception that security would be jeopardized if the USFK withdrew, he said.

Regarding the recent conflicts with the press, Roh claimed that newspapers are the only type of media that regulate themselves, saying it was a violation of free trade law. He said press reform would focus on removing such privileges and rendering newspapers "equal before the law."

When asked about "persecutions" from the press, Roh said that newspapers had never been more hostile to him than they are now. Roh then took aim at the Chosun Ilbo, saying that when his partner in the presidential campaign, Chung Mong-joon, broke off with him the day before the election, the Chosun Ilbo printed and distributed large amounts of free copies.

In response, the chief of the Chosun Ilbo's sales department, Kim Hyo-jae, said that Chosun Ilbo printed the usual number of copies on the day of the presidential election. He said Roh's argument must have come from a misunderstanding of the newspaper business. (Lee Jong-won, jwlee@chosun.com )