2nd S. Korean in House Arrest; 16 Are Detained

A second leading South Korean dissident, Kim Young Sam, was placed under house arrest today and police detained 16 opposition supporters as a confrontation between government and opposition worsened.

Justice Minister Kim Seung Ky repeated government warnings that it would deal harshly with supporters of a petition campaign for direct presidential elections and threatened to send opposition leader Kim Dae Jung, under house arrest since late Wednesday, back to jail if he continued anti-government activities.

Kim Dae Jung, 60, a former presidential candidate, is banned from politics because of a suspended 20-year jail sentence for sedition.

1,000 Police in Ring

He watched from a window of his home today as supporters battled with police to reach him. They could not break through a cordon of more than 1,000 police surrounding the house and 16 were arrested.

Kim Young Sam was having lunch with other opposition leaders in a Seoul restaurant when police seized him, took him home and told him he was under house arrest. Scores of police immediately surrounded his house.

Overnight, squads of detectives raided the offices of the main opposition New Korea Democratic Party and the dissident Council for Promotion of Democracy.

Police seized lists of signatures, including those of the two Kims, who signed a petition on Wednesday calling for constitutional changes to provide for direct presidential elections.

Electoral College System

President Chun Doo Hwan was elected by an electoral college of about 5,000 members and has banned debate on a change in the system until he stands down when his term ends in 1988--the year of the Seoul Olympics.

State prosecutors have warned that those taking part in the signature campaign could face jail terms of up to seven years.

Justice Minister Kim said the campaign to collect 10 million signatures was a “camouflaged act of violence discarding constitutionalism and parliamentary democracy.”

The prestigious daily Dong-a Ilbo today countered by questioning the constitutionalism which it said allowed police to beat at least seven reporters covering the overnight raids.

449 Students Arrested

Police said a total of 449 South Korean students have been arrested in the first 40 days of this year for staging protests against Chun’s government, including 189 who supported the signature campaign.

About 400 other students are already under detention for similar protests.

Kim Young Sam told reporters that police arrested three opposition members in the southern city of Taegu today when the dissidents started to collect signatures there.