President-elect Roh Moo-hyun once said that whenever he is confronted with a question he cannot answer, he tends to look for answers by reading books related to his concerns. Even now, Mr. Roh said, he reads before he steps out of his home in the early morning, in the evening and on weekends.

Mr. Roh's assistants say that the president-elect has tended to read more practical books since the election, particularly those dealing with the presidency. In particular, they noted "Eyewitness to Power: The Essence of Leadership, Nixon to Clinton" by David Gergen. Other books Mr. Rho is reading these days, according to his assistants, include "Conditions of a Successful President" by the East-Asia Institute and "The Two Koreas: A Contemporary History" by Don Oberdorfer, a former reporter of the Washington Post.

Mr. Roh also encourages his staff to read these books.

One idea gleaned from his readings that Mr. Roh intends to implement is separating the Blue House's secretariat office into policy and state affairs departments.