By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
Presidential nominee Chung Dong-young of the United New Democratic Party (UNDP) began his political career in 1996 when he was elected to the 15th National Assembly.
He made headlines as he won the largest number of votes in an electoral district in the parliamentary elections.
In 2004, Chung became the youngest politician to lead a ruling party. He led the now-defunct governing Uri Party, the predecessor of the UNDP. Later, he also served as minister of unification.
Before entering politics, he worked as a reporter and anchor for the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation, a local television network, between 1978 and 1995.
A journalist, Chung covered the May 18 pro-democracy movement in Gwangju in 1980, and reported on the Gulf War and German reunification while working as a correspondent in New York.
After entering Seoul National University in 1972, Chung participated in movements to protest former President Park Chung-hee's authoritarian rule, particularly Park's inception of the notorious Yushin (Revitalization) Constitution designed to prolong his dictatorial rule.
He was put behind bars twice for his involvement in those pro-democracy activities.
In 2000, he served as spokesman of the now-defunct New Millennium Democratic Party founded by former President Kim Dae-jung.
He helped Kim win the 1997 presidential election by giving him advice regarding television debates.
Chung also helped Roh Moo-hyun to win the presidential race in 2002.
After Roh was elected president, Chung joined hands with him and others to establish the Uri Party in November 2003. He served as Uri chairman twice _ in 2004 and 2006.
The Uri Party, however, suffered from rock-bottom popularity.
Lawmakers started to desert the Uri Party and Chung also left it in June, claiming that internal conflicts over vested rights made the party perform poorly.
The Uri Party merged with a centrists' group, which largely consisted of deserters from the Uri Party and some from the minor opposition Democratic Party to launch the UNDP on Aug. 5.
While serving as minister of unification between 2004 and 2005, Chung visited North Korea several times and met North Korean leader Kim Jong-il on June 17, 2005.
He made contributions to the construction of the Gaeseong Industrial Complex in the North, a flagship inter-Korean economic project.
Chung flew to Washington as soon as he assumed the post of unification minister and met U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, to persuade them to agree to the Gaeseong project, according to his aides.
He also helped start reunions of displaced families between the two Koreas for the first time in over a half-century since the 1950-53 Korean War.