One decision that has sparked disfavor is Roh's appointments of Ko Young-koo as head of the National Intelligence Service and Suh Dong-man as his chief aide. Bulldozing over bipartisan opposition in the National Assembly, Roh confirmed the nominations even though his Cheong Wa Dae staff recommended a compromise - that Ko be confirmed and Suh dropped. Similar advice was given by the Millennium Democratic Party leader Chyung Dai-chul. A former intelligence chief, Chun Yong-taek, even said that the agency should be closed if Suh was appointed. A senior MDP member, Cho Sun-hyoung, said, "To put it favorably, the decision is true to Roh's beliefs, but it's self-centered and egoistic."

Another stink for Roh has been the Nara Investment Bank scandal involving two of his top aides, Ahn Hee-jeong, deputy chief of the MDP's National Strategic Institute, and Yeom Dong-yeon, a member of the party's personnel committee. Many insiders expected Ahn to be indicted because the charges against him involved more money than those against Yeom - but they did not know then that Ahn was Roh's closest aide. Later, Yeom was detained and Ahn seemed destined to avoid indictment. Roh, at a TV appearance following the denial of a request for an arrest warrant for Ahn, Roh said Ahn was now suffering pain for him, and that Ahn was his trusted friend and partner.

Many Millennium Democrats say that because Roh's closest aide went unarrested despite receiving W200 million ($160,000) in an underground parking lot, controversy over whether politicians are able to avoid prosecution is surely to be aggravated.

One of the few things Roh has been consistent about is his views on the media. He has yet to back off with his complaints about the critical newspapers, but he is never shy to express affection for the broadcast media and the friendly media, or Internet news providers.

Roh's staff had said on Korea's Newspaper Day, April 7, that the president would no longer comment about the media. But on May 2, at the TV debate, he again criticized major newspapers, saying they should not dominate society or enjoy special privileges. He also said that the media had never before been so hostile to him. The next day, at a workshop for cabinet ministers, he urged that the government and media should never form a "cartel of the strong."

His favoritism was highlighted on March 4, at a ceremony to mark the 30th anniversary of the TV network KBS. Roh wondered aloud how he could have become president if not for the broadcast networks, and said, "I thank the broadcasters."

Later, Roh promised that he would not intervene in the appointment of the president of KBS, but evidence emerged that he did. That chief, Surh Dong-koo, resigned voluntarily after only days in office. Now a similar dispute has arisen with the new chief, Chung Yeon-joo.

Regarding the relationship with the United States, Roh kept saying up until his election victory last December that clear distinctions of position should exist between Seoul and Washington; but after his inauguration, he returned to the traditional policy of Korea-U.S. cooperation by supporting the Iraq War and committing noncombat troops to the effort. (Kim Chang-kyun, ck-kim@chosun.com )