Plastic pistol popped at Pontiff

Press, 7 May 1984, Page 1

Plastic pistol popped at Pontiff

NZPA-AP Seoul A Korean man waving a toy pistol dashed from a crowded footpath into the street as Pope John Paul II approached a Seoul cathedral for an early morning prayer service yesterday. He was immediately arrested. Witnesses said the man fired his plastic cap pistol once, but authorities gave conflicting accounts, first claiming that no shots were fired, then saying a security guard fired one shot that ricocheted off the pavement.

The witnesses said they heard a “bang” as the young man suddenly jumped from a crowd of schoolgirls standing on the curb as the Pontiff approached in his bullet-proof vehicle. Security guards immedi-

ately pounced on the man, whom the police later identified as Lee Joon-Kyu, aged 22.

One account, provided by Vatican sources, said the man shouted “mansei” (live 10,000 years!) and threw down his cap pistol before the guards seized him.

The same sources quoted the Rev. Roberto Tucci, director of Vatican Radio and over-all co-ordinator of the trip, as saying he heard “two weak shots.”

The Rev. Ik Chang, a home-based priest acting as the Pope’s interpreter, said the Pontiff . “appeared surprised” by the incident. Father Chang said he did not consider it a “serious attempt.” The Pope, riding in the plastic-topped white truck with Cardinal Stephen Kim,

Archbishop of Seoul, turned briefly and apparently saw the man, but it was not clear whether he understood what had occurred.

The Pope continued the half-block to the Myongdong Cathedral. Afterwards, he was driven to another ceremony that was the highlight of his five-day trip to South Korea, an outdoor Mass and canonisation ceremony before a crowd of about 500,000. There had been reports before the Pope’s visit that international terrorists might be planning an attempt on his life, and security had been extremely tight everywhere he went. In Papua New Guinea nearly 1000 police are involved in security for Pope John Paul II who arrives at Port Moresby today for a three-day visit.