Police-Student Battle Continues in S. Korea
Throwing rocks and wielding pipes, thousands of students fought police for the second straight day Wednesday, protesting the government’s refusal to prosecute two former presidents.
About a dozen people, including four photographers, were injured. About 20 students were arrested.
Fighting began when police firing tear gas tried to disperse 6,000 people who gathered for an anti-government rally in eastern Seoul.
The students demand punishment for former Presidents Chun Doo Hwan and Roh Tae Woo for their alleged involvement in a bloody crackdown on a May, 1980, pro-democracy uprising in the southern city of Kwangju.
By official count, about 250 people were killed and more than 1,800 wounded in the bloodiest uprising in modern Korean history. Dissidents claim the death toll was higher.
Under the statute of limitations, Wednesday was the last day the two former presidents could be prosecuted in connection with the bloodshed. The government decided last month not to prosecute them.
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