THINGS SHOULD QUIET DOWN FOR OLYMPICS AFTER KOREAN STUDENTS ATTEMPT A MARCH

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP05T02051R000200350082-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 12, 2011
• Sequence Number: 82
• Publication Date: August 16, 1988
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/08/12 : CIA-RDP05TO2051 R000200350082-1
WASHINUjUN POST
NEW "ORK TIMES
WALL STREET JOURNAL -
WASHINGTON TIMES
USA TODAY
Things Should Quiet Down for Olympics
After Korean Students Attempt a March
By SUSAN MUFFAT
Staff Reporter afTua: WALL S*NWb:TJ4)LJ1(NA I.
SEOUL, South Korea-Radical students
and the South Korean government are
squaring off for what may be their last
major showdown in the streets before an
expected lull in political activity during the
September Olympics.
On Monday the government is expected
to quash an attempt by students to meet
with their North Korean counterparts at
the Demilitarized Zone that separates the
two Koreas. Familiar scenes of firebomb-
wielding students confronting riot police
are likely to appear on foreign television
screens, possibly increasing the unease of
Olympic athletes and tourists.
But major domestic violence isn't likely
to continue as the Sept. 17 opening date of
the Games approaches, say Western and
Asian diplomats and Korean political ana-
lysts. Radical student leaders have already
announced they don't intend to create un-
rest during the Games. And as public opin-
ion against continued protests gets
stronger with the Games approaching, the
students may have difficulty reigniting
their movement, political observers say.
Less Support
Even among other students, the activ-
ists don't have the widespread support
they had last summer when tens of thou-
sands of Koreans took to the streets to
bring down the government of Chun Doo
Hwan. "If the atmosphere was ripe, as it
was in June '87, 1 wouldn't hesitate to join
the demonstrations. But some of the stu-
dents are hasty in their drive for reunifica-
tion" of North and South Korea, says law
student Ahn Sang Hoon.
Many Koreans are determined to pres-
ent the world with a successful and peace-
ful Seoul Olympics and aren't likely to sup-
port student demonstrations. "Popular re-
ception of our efforts at reunification has
been lukewarm because of concern for the
Olympics," concedes Kim Joong Ki, repre-
sentative of the 20-student delegation that
hopes to meet with the North Koreans.
But Mr. Kim said he expects the dem-
onstrations to escalate before the Olym-
pics. The radical students don't share the
government view of the Olympics as a na-
tional priority. "It would be a crime for
the Olympics to take place in the South
alone, because it would show Korea as a
divided nation," says Lee Sung Chul, a stu-
dent at Korea University.
A June 10 attempt by students to march
to the border village of Panmunjom for a
meeting with North Korean students was
thwarted by tens of thousands of riot po-
lice. The crackdown was generally toler-
ated and to some extent supported by
newspaper editorials and the public, which
views the students' demands for immedi-
ate reunification as naive and dangerous.
Students Arrested
In recent days, the police have picked
up more than 1,000 students protesting the
government prohibition of their march;
five of the 20 delegates to the meeting have
been arrested, Mr. Kim says.
The students have succeeded in pushing
the government toward a dialogue with the
North since June. Though the students
were prevented from reaching Panmunjom
in June, the government seems to be
adopting some of their demands in an ef-
fort to co-opt their support.
In a major policy speech July 7, Presi-
dent Roh Tae Woo said the South would
cease to view the North as an enemy and
would pursue trade and cultural ex-
changes. He also said his government
wouldn't oppose the establishment of rela-
tions between its allies and North Korea.
More recently, the South responded pos-
itively to a proposal from the North for a
preliminary meeting to establish contact
between members of parliament from both
sides. A preliminary meeting of legislators
is expected in Panmunjom Aug. 19.
STAT
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/08/12 : CIA-RDP05TO2051 R000200350082-1