S. Korea May Free 300 More Prisoners Soon

Up to 300 additional political prisoners are expected to be released in South Korea within the next day or so, joining 177 who were freed Monday, and South Korean newspapers reported that as many as 2,400 may be given amnesty by early next week.

According to reports in the press, the prisoners to be released include some people who have been held for political crimes committed more than a decade ago. Among those affected by the amnesty, according to one report, will be opposition leader Kim Dae Jung, who was released from prison in 1983 but is still deprived of his civil rights under a suspended 20-year sentence for sedition.

Kim’s civil rights reportedly will be restored, along with those of the other political prisoners.

The 177 freed Monday were among the thousands taken into custody last month in the course of 18 days of public disorder set off by the nomination of former Gen. Roh Tae Woo as the ruling party’s candidate to succeed President Chun Doo Hwan when Chun steps down next February.

Their release was seen as one more step en route to the political reforms promised by the government last week in order to put an end to the disorder, which started in Seoul and spread to 32 other cities around the country.

Many of the prisoners were released here in Seoul, others in provincial cities--Pusan, Kwangju, Taejon, Taegu, Chongju, Chonju, Inchon and Suwon. Among them were 97 students, 14 of them women.

Friends and relatives greeted them with smiles and embraces, and some of the prisoners, emerging from the Seoul Detention Center, were met by Kim, the opposition leader, and his political ally Kim Young Sam, president of the Reunification Democratic Party.

In this group were all 12 leaders of the National Coalition for a Democratic Constitution, who had been arrested for allegedly plotting the June 10 protests against the nomination of Roh.

They included Yang Song Jik, a vice president of the Reunification Democratic Party, and the Rev. Park Hyung Kyu, who has been in and out of jail since the late President Park Chung Hee assumed authoritarian powers in 1972.

More than 17,000 people were detained over the 18 days of demonstrations, but arrest warrants were issued for only 420. Of those, 219 were freed on June 29, the day candidate Roh announced that he would accept the opposition’s demands for reform.

Among those detained in June who have yet to be freed are nine people specifically charged with violating the National Security Law and 15 others charged with “extremely violent acts.” Also still in jail is an ex-convict accused of killing a policeman, the only one fatally injured in the June protests.

The two Kims, the opposition leaders, announced that they have canceled all political appointments until Friday in observance of a period of mourning for Lee Han Yol, 21, the Yonsei University student who died Sunday of head injuries incurred when he was struck by a tear-gas canister.

Lee Choon Koo, secretary general of the ruling Democratic Justice Party, warned the opposition to refrain “from plots to exploit the tragic incident for political purposes.” The party hopes, he said, that “the funeral service will be held peacefully.”

Kim Young Sam said his party will not use Lee’s death as an excuse to delay reform talks.

“Lee died for democracy, and pushing for democratization will fulfill his intention,” Kim said. “His death should not adversely affect the grand task of democratic reform but rather speed it up.”

A funeral ceremony, which will be conducted under the auspices of the Yonsei Student Council, was fixed for Thursday, after which a motorcade with Lee’s body will travel to Lee’s native town of Kwangju for the burial.

The southwestern provincial capital was the site of an insurrection which Chun suppressed with army troops to solidify his 1980 coup. By official count, 194 people were killed in three days of demonstrations that were followed by seven days during which students and citizens took up weapons stolen from armories in the southwestern provincial capital.

On Monday, long lines of mourners stood outside the Yonsei Student Union building, where an altar has been set up in Lee’s memory.

Lee Min Woo, president of the opposition New Korea Democratic Party, arrived at the building to pay his respects, but students refused to admit him. They accused him of failing to support their all-out demand for democracy.

Cameramen Turned Away

The students also turned away CBS-TV cameramen, denouncing the American television network for reportedly describing Roh as a “hero” because of his sweeping proposals for reform. And they refused to accept a wreath sent by the minister of education, Sohn Jae Souk. A wreath sent by Roh on Sunday was trampled and burned.

About 5,000 students gathered on the Yonsei campus to discuss plans for Lee’s funeral, and afterward about 1,000 of them tried to march to a nearby hospital morgue, where Lee’s body had been taken, to hold a prayer session. After the students failed to convince the police of their peaceful intentions, they were dispersed by riot police firing tear gas.

“Let’s tear down the killer government!” the students chanted as they fought with the officers. “Down with the dictatorship that uses killer tear-gas bombs!”

Eight student organizations have called campus rallies for Wednesday at colleges throughout the country to honor Lee. Students have been asked to wear nothing but white and black clothing during the mourning period.

Meanwhile, prosecutors announced that they had begun an investigation to determine who might have fired the gas canister directly at Lee in violation of police rules that tear-gas be shot into the air above the heads of protesters. Officials acknowledged that there is not much chance of identifying the policeman who did it.

Committee’s Proposals

Also, a five-member committee of the ruling party submitted to candidate Roh an outline of its proposed constitutional revisions. Among them:

-- A provision that the family of anyone arrested be notified immediately, and that anyone arrested have the right to request a court review of the arrest’s legality.

-- A ban on censorship of the press and discontinuance of the practice of licensing newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations. This notion was rejected as recently as June 8 by Lee Jong Ryool, a spokesman for President Chun.

-- Restrictions on the power of the president, including denial of powers to dissolve the National Assembly and to initiate proposals for constitutional revisions.

Tentative plans call for the ruling party and the opposition parties to submit a unified draft constitution to a regular session of the National Assembly, which will convene Sept. 20.