Celebration and anger in Seoul

Press, 11 June 1987, Page 6

Celebration and anger in Seoul

NZPA-Reuter Seoul Cheering and clapping behind a massive wall of security. South Korea’s ruling party yesterday chose the man it wants to succeed President Chun Doo Hwan next year. Across the capital, opposition anger flared over news that a student activist was brain-dead and on a life-support system after being struck on the head by a tear-gas canister fired by riot police during a campus demonstration. President Chun himself congratulated his longtime friend and confidant, Mr Roh Tae-woo after his nomination by the Democratic Justice Party’s national convention in southern Seoul, hailing him as a competent and highly regarded political leader, “a principled man of integrity and faithfulness.”

Mr Roh, like Mr Chun a former general, pledged to pursue a policy of dialogue with the Government’s opponents in the interests of the country’s peaceful democratic development Opposition politicians and dissident leaders, meeting to plan nationwide protests to denounce what they call the Demo- . cratic Justice Party’s perpetuation of one-party rule, observed a minute’s silence for the student Mr Lee Han Yol. Hospital sources said the youth was brain-dead. After news broke of the gravity of his injuries, scores of fellow students marched to the hospital

from nearby Yonsei University, where Mr Lee was studying business administration. Tensions were already running high with the Government vowing to crush any opposition attempt to hold rallies, fearing that violence would mar the solemnity of the ruling party's • formal choice of its Presidential candidate. Mr Chua has said he wants to go down in history as the first South Korean leader to achieve a peaceful transfer of power. Faced with opposition politicians* demands to cancel the convention and resume talks on electoral reform, the authorities put police on red alert. ? Over 2000 political activists have been taken in for questioning so far this week, and police said hundreds would face charges for offences re-

lated to public security. At least 40 dissidents were under house arrest in Seoul alone,, including Opposition leader, Mr Kim Dae Jung, who has now been confined to his home for two months. A total of 58,000 riot police have sealed off announced rally sites in 20 cities and placed tight security cordons around public buildings and other potential targets. After 10,000 students demonstrated across the country on Tuesday vowing to take part in yesterday’s mass rallies, police squads searched 124 universities looking for petrol bombs and anti-Govern-ment banneis and leaflets.