S. Korea Orders Nationwide Manhunt for 88 Involved in Protests

South Korean authorities Friday ordered a nationwide manhunt aimed at 88 dissidents who played leading roles in recent violent anti-government demonstrations.

In other developments, an agreement to perform an autopsy on the body of a student who died during protests last month headed off a feared clash between activists and police, and the Rev. Moon Ik Hwan, 73, a noted dissident, was sent back to prison.

The National Police Headquarters directed that a special team be formed for each province to arrest 88 people who played key roles in anti-government protests since April 26, when a college student was beaten to death by police during a Seoul demonstration.

Those being sought include top members of hard-line dissident organizations such as the National Democratic Alliance, the National Council of University Student Representatives, and the National Council of Labor Unions.

Also included are 15 students who assaulted Prime Minister Chung Won Shik during a campus lecture Monday, accusing him of firing 1,500 teachers to block the creation of a national teachers’ union in 1988-90 when he was the government education minister.

After the assault, Education Minister Yoon Hyoung Sup offered to resign, but President Roh Tae Woo turned down his resignation Friday.

The autopsy agreement ended a confrontation outside a hospital morgue, where hundreds of militant students with stockpiles of firebombs, pipes, rocks and bricks faced thousands of riot police.

The students had refused to surrender the body of Kim Kwi Jung, 25, who they said suffocated from excessive use of tear gas at a May 25 demonstration in which she took part. A dissident committee and her mother had refused to allow an autopsy, demanding a government apology for her death. Dissident leaders had said Kim would be buried today.

But government prosecutors refused to allow burial until an autopsy was performed. They said Kim apparently was trampled to death while fleeing from police.

Backing away from a confrontation, dissidents agreed to allow an autopsy, with their doctors and lawyers joining government doctors in the examination of the body. The Seoul district prosecutor’s office had the autopsy conducted; dissidents withdrew their threat to hold a funeral today, and said it may be held a week later.

After the autopsy, doctors said their tentative opinion was that the woman died of pressure on her chest. A final opinion will be announced next week.

Moon, a Presbyterian pastor, was put back in prison Thursday evening. He was taken into custody when he left home to join dissidents at the hospital where Kim’s body was kept.

Moon was arrested in April, 1989, and sentenced to seven years in prison for secretly visiting North Korea. He was freed Oct. 20 for health reasons. He had 5 1/2 more years to serve.

Government officials said leniency for Moon had to be canceled since he participated in more than 106 political events in violation of the terms for his freedom.