Peaceful S. Korea Protest Follows Roh Apology

SEOUL — An apology by President Roh Tae Woo for the unrest that has disrupted South Korea for more than a month and a promise to allow peaceful assembly Tuesday failed to forestall yet another street protest in Seoul demanding his ouster. But there was a difference this time.

The rally was peaceful, the first in decades in which neither police nor students resorted to violence.

About 10,000 protesters marched, unimpeded, four miles through the streets from Sungkyunkwan University to Paek Hospital near the city center to condemn the Roh government’s alleged use of “excessive force” that students claim caused the death of Kim Kwi Jong, 25, a junior at the university, in a demonstration last Saturday.

She was the ninth person to die--six were victims of self-immolation--since the protests began April 26, after the fatal police beating of a student.

Students are guarding her body at the hospital, refusing to allow authorities to conduct an autopsy, and they have occupied a street in front of the hospital since Saturday.

Although the rally, which began at 5:30 p.m., was unauthorized, police did not intervene. They also permitted the crowd of mostly Sungkyunkwan students to stage a meeting with speeches for two hours in the middle of an intersection.

Police restraint, however, failed to dampen the emotions of the crowd, which shouted slogans demanding Roh’s ouster and the dissolution of his ruling party.

“There is no way to stop the deaths of our young people except to oust Roh,” speakers at the rally insisted.

Whether the rare peaceful protest would herald a change in the vicious circle of protest, repression and violence that has been a hallmark of Korean demonstrations up to now remained to be tested in rallies that both dissidents and opposition forces have scheduled for the weekend.

Roh’s pledges, contained in a nationally televised address to his new Cabinet and the ruling Democratic Liberal Party, constituted the last step of the president’s promise to try to defuse the recent unrest.

Although Roh appeared conciliatory, he announced only two new measures--a pledge to amend a law regulating demonstrations, if necessary, to permit free assembly, and a promise not to send police onto campuses without authorization from university officials. At the same time, he reaffirmed that he would stand firm against radicals and violence.

Signs emerged Tuesday that political attention was beginning to turn from the protests and toward the first elections to be held in 30 years for legislatures in all nine provinces and for assemblies in six large cities.

Announcement of a firm date for the voting, expected to be June 20, will be made Saturday, and both the ruling and opposition camps announced election platforms Tuesday.