Seoul Students Seize Heart of City, Beat Up Riot Police : Use of Tear Gas Sparks Violence

Tens of thousands of students seized the heart of the city today during massive street battles that erupted after police used tear gas to break up marches by people demanding a ban on tear gas.

The worst violence in nine days of protests raged in Seoul and at least seven other major cities as opposition groups held an “Anti-Tear Gas Day” to demand that the authoritarian government stop using the powerful irritant to suppress political dissent.

In Seoul, 110 riot police were seized and beaten as students overran their units at the Bank of Korea and the main railway station.

“Expel tear gas from our land,” protesters in the capital and other cities chanted. “Destroy the military dictatorship.”

But police repeatedly used tear gas to break what had been largely peaceful marches. Hordes of students briefly seized the center of Seoul and trapped scores of riot police.

Cheers for Victory

Students stood and sang the country’s national anthem as they cheered and applauded their victory. “We love our country,” students in jeans and T-shirts shouted before police recaptured the area.

President Chun Doo Hwan’s government was reported to be considering “drastic measures” to end the worst political violence the country has seen since it took power in 1980.

Thousands have been injured in the fighting, but there have been no confirmed deaths.

So far, the riot police have not carried guns and have relied mainly on tear gas and truncheons. Special attack squads are trained in martial arts.

Desire to Limit Violence

The lack of weapons reflects the government’s desire to limit violence. Officials say privately they fear there would be a huge backlash if any protesters were killed by police.

Thousands of riot police in green combat uniforms and black, visored helmets advanced in row after row with interlocked shields as fighting raged up and down the city’s broad streets today. Armored cars and police rifle squads blasted the protesters with thousands of rounds of tear gas as the crowds fought back with firebombs and rocks.

About 80 riot police were seized when students overran their unit after crowds took over the main square in front of the Bank of Korea and held it for nearly an hour. Protesters pinned down another unit of about 30 men in front of the city’s main railway station and held it for about two hours.

Kneeling officers begged the attackers to stop beating them. But enraged students hurled rocks from a few feet away, hit and kicked the huddled police and stripped them of their weapons and equipment.

Escorted to Safety

Student leaders, who tried to stop the beatings, eventually were able to escort the officers to safety as protesters burned the equipment in two large bonfires. Hundreds of police counterattacked and retook the square as fighting shifted to outside the railway station.

Protesters, mainly students, attacked three police stations and set fire to three police buses. The fighting brought the inner city to a standstill, and businesses and shops closed as thousands of terrified people tried to flee the clashes.

It was the ninth straight day of political violence in Seoul and other cities since opposition groups launched a drive nationwide to oust Chun’s government and force democratic elections.

Chun declared April 13 that he was suspending talks with the opposition on political reform until after the 1988 Seoul Olympics to safeguard national stability and the games.

Opposition groups are demanding full democracy, including direct presidential elections. They contend that the current electoral college system favors the ruling party.