Sohn Hak-kyu, one of the Democratic United Party's presidential hopefuls, on Sunday embarked on a five-nation European trip.

Sohn, who formerly served as chairman of the main opposition party, plans to visit the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Britain and Spain until May 2 to fine-tune his ideas for labor, welfare, education and health service policies, his aides said.

On April 27, Sohn is scheduled to give a speech about peace on the Korean Peninsula and the future of Northeast Asia at Oxford University, seeking to present his vision for North Korea policy and foreign affairs ahead of this year's presidential race. (Yonhap)