Kim Dae Jung Sorry Kims Split Vote

Kim Dae Jung today said the government’s candidate won the presidential election because he and the other major opposition candidate, Kim Young Sam, had split the opposition vote. He begged the nation for forgiveness.

Kim’s comment was the first by the opposition that its split presidential ticket robbed it of an election victory. There were repeated warnings before last week’s vote that a split opposition ticket would allow government candidate Roh Tae Woo to win.

However, Kim did not drop his charge that Roh also won through massive election fraud, or his demand that Koreans stage nonviolent protests to prevent Roh from assuming office in February.

Small protests against alleged fraud in the election continued today in Seoul and the southwestern city of Kwangju, but there was no indication that a majority of Koreans were willing to protest Roh’s election victory.