Kim Put Under House Arrest in Crackdown

Leading dissident Kim Dae Jung was put under house arrest at the start of a massive crackdown against opposition groups who want to change the way South Korea’s president is elected, an aide to Kim said today.

“Police surrounded the house Wednesday afternoon and all phones were cut off at about 6:30 p.m.,” the aide said.

About 300 policemen were deployed today around Kim’s house in the western part of Seoul. Barricades were set up on the roads leading to Kim’s house and no visitors were allowed inside.

The 60-year-old Kim, now free on a suspended 20-year term for sedition, was staying at his home with his family and four personal secretaries, the aide said.

It was the ninth time Kim has been put under house arrest since he returned a little over a year ago from a two-year stay in the United States.

In a similar crackdown, police also sealed off the headquarters of the major opposition New Korea Democratic Party (NKDP) and its sister dissident organization, the Council for the Promotion of Democracy (CPD), in downtown Seoul.

NKDP President Lee Min Woo and dissident leader Kim Young Sam were also barred from entering the NKDP office.

The police crackdown started after the two opposition groups jointly launched a signature-collecting campaign Wednesday to demand a constitutional amendment for a direct presidential election system.

The present Korean constitution, which was adopted in 1980, calls for the nation’s chief executive to be picked by an electoral college consisting of about 5,500 popularly elected delegates.

The oppositionists are petitioning for a direct popular vote, arguing that the indirect election system is easy for the government to manipulate.

More than 210 members of the two opposition organizations signed the demands for the change Wednesday. They included Lee and the two Kims.

The signature-gathering campaign is seen as a serious challenge to the government of President Chun Doo Hwan, which has repeatedly said it would deal harshly with anyone involved in the “outlawed” effort.