South Korean Police Raid 15 Campuses

Police raided campuses before dawn today and seized firebombs, clubs and leaflets to try to cripple planned nationwide rallies by student dissidents.

The raids on at least 15 universities in four cities followed riots Friday in which hundreds of student militants at the Seoul campuses of Korea and Sogang pelted police with rocks and firebombs.

They were demanding that Roh Tae Woo, the candidate of the ruling Democratic Justice Party, pull out of the presidential race and that President Chun Doo Hwan’s government be replaced by a neutral, interim regime to ensure that the December elections, the first free vote in 16 years, are fair.

No injuries or arrests were reported in either of Friday’s clashes, in which police fired tear gas to stop hundreds of students from marching into the streets.

Also on Friday, opposition leader Kim Jong Pil, a former prime minister, formed a political party to formally enter the presidential race. Analysts said he could take votes from the ruling party.

Kim and more than 3,000 of his followers founded the New Democratic Republican Party to carry on what they called a historic mission cut short by the assassination of authoritarian leader Park Chung Hee eight years ago.

Kim, 61, masterminded Park’s 1961 military coup and founded the country’s first intelligence agency.

He has accused Chun of taking the presidency by force after Park’s death in 1980. He says he wants to seek the public’s verdict on Park’s 18-year rule.

Four-Man Race

Kim’s announcement makes it a four-man contest in December.

Opposition leader Kim Dae Jung on Friday presided over the first preparatory meeting of a group of politicians who broke away from the main opposition Reunification Democratic Party to form a party to back his presidential campaign.

Twenty-five of 70 Reunification legislators quit the party Thursday to join Kim, now running against his former ally, Kim Young Sam, in the presidential contest. Kim Young Sam is president of the Reunification Democrats.

The Yonhap News Agency reported Friday that senior officials of the government and the ruling party had agreed to set a presidential election date next week.

Yonhap quoted government sources as saying the date would be either Dec. 9 or Dec. 16.