U.S. Lauds S. Korea for Restraint
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WASHINGTON — The State Department on Monday praised the moderation of South Korean security forces in handling the student protest at Seoul’s Myongdong Cathedral.
“We do want to take this opportunity to recognize that restraint allowed this situation in the cathedral to be resolved apparently without bloodshed,” said deputy spokeswoman Phyllis Oakley.
She said that while the rioting that has shaken the country in recent weeks was an internal matter, “we believe this incident demonstrates the usefulness and continued need for discussion, compromise and consensus.”
Oakley briefed reporters as renewed clashes broke out between students and police at the cathedral and in other South Korean cities.
The cathedral, headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church in South Korea, has been a focal point for anti-government unrest in the past week. Church officials arranged the evacuation of 200 radical students who had been holding the cathedral complex since seizing it last Wednesday.
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