Korea Youths Continue to Battle Police : Chun’s Plan to Meet With Opposition Goes Unheeded

Thousands of students clashed with riot police near college campuses in Seoul today despite the announcement that President Chun Doo Hwan, in a major turnaround, agreed to meet with opposition leaders in an effort to end the violent protests.

Roh Tae Woo, the presidential candidate of Chun’s Democratic Justice Party, said after a meeting with Chun that the president agreed to meet with Kim Young Sam, head of the Reunification Democratic Party. Roh did not say when the meeting would take place.

Chun also promised to consider the release of political detainees, Roh said.

58 Universities Involved

Yonhap, the Korean news agency, reported that about 20,000 students took part in demonstrations today at 58 universities throughout the country.

Students hurled firebombs and rocks at police in vicious street battles around at least four major Seoul colleges. Police fired volley after volley of tear gas.

About 2,500 students clashed with police in the central city of Chonju and stormed a police station. Hundreds of students clashed with police in the streets of the southern city of Kwangju and about 1,000 students briefly seized part of a highway on Cheju Island off the south coast.

Pusan, the country’s second largest city and scene of some of the worst anti-government protests in recent days, was largely quiet.

The opposition has demanded direct talks between Kim and Chun as a precondition to negotiations on calling off the protests that have swept the country since June 10.

That was the day the Democratic Justice Party nominated Roh as its presidential candidate, and the opposition began a drive to force direct elections.

“The president . . . promised to give maximum consideration to preconditions set by the Reunification Democratic Party, including the release of imprisoned people and the lifting of house arrest order for Kim Dae Jong,” Roh said. Kim Dae Jung has been under house arrest in Seoul since April 8.

Roh said nothing today about the key opposition demand that the government repeal its April 13 decision to suspend talks on political reform until after the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Chun contends that the delay is necessary to safeguard national stability and the games.