S. Korea opposition picks presidential candidate

SEOUL (AFP) - The race for South Korea's presidency gathered pace on Sunday as the main opposition party picked a former top presidential aide as its candidate for the December polls, amid speculation that a popular software mogul may derail his bid.

The left-wing Democratic United Party chose Mr Moon Jae In, former senior aide to the late ex-president Roh Moo Hyun, after he won a combined 56 per cent of some 600,000 votes in 13 primaries that have been held across the country.

"Thank you for rallying behind me for this enormous challenge of administrative change... I promise that I will win the December race," Mr Moon said in a speech, to thunderous applause from the crowd at a stadium in Seoul.

A former pro-democracy activist and presidential chief of staff, Mr Moon has vowed to push for a summit with North Korea if he becomes South Korea's next president in the December 19 vote.