SECTION: International News
LENGTH: 1515 words
DATELINE: SEOUL, South Korea
BODY:
South Korean troops crushed an anti-government insurrection by university students and local sympathizers Tuesday in Kwangju, the nation's fourth largest city. With at least 280 dead, the week-long struggle is the bloodiest in recent times in a country whose long history is studded by rebellions against military rulers.
The Kwangju uprising grew out of demonstrations that began May 1 when students in Seoul and the provincial capital of Taejon took to the streets demanding an end to the government's seven-month-old martial law decree, dismissal of its military strongman, Gen. Chun Doo-hwan, and a speedup in democratic reforms promised after the Oct. 26 assassination of President Park Chung-hee.
The immediate cause was a government decision Saturday May 17 to extend the martial law edict to the entire country, in effect giving the military more power and to arrest several political leaders, including Kim Dae-jung, a former presidential candidate and favorite son of southern Cholla province, where Kwangju is the principal city.
Here is a chronology of the events that followed in Kwangju:
Sunday, May 18 -- About 600 students of Chonnam National University stage an anti-government protest on campus, clash with riot police, then march downtown demanding an end to martial law. During the four-hour demonstration, more violence breaks out, with students raiding police substations. Another rock-throwing exchange involving 1,000 students and paratroopers and police occurs downtown at 5 p.m. The crowds disperse about 9 p.m.
Monday, May 19 -- The day begins quietly, with buses running and normal activities by the citizens. Later, small-scale demonstrations occur in about 30 places with some fires set and more clashes with paratroopers. In the afternoon, a company of paratroopers is isolated by demonstrators at studio of the Independent Christian Broadcasting System and disarmed. At 3 p.m., about 100 demonstrators raid the pro-government Munhwa Broadcasting Co., destroy the facilities and burn five cars. Demonstrations continue through 8 p.m..
Tuesday, May 20 -- About midafternoon students and citizens gather downtown and engage in renewed battles with troops, the crowd growing to between 50,000 to 100,000, filling six main streets leading to province headquarters in the main plaza. Citizens are armed with steel pipes, knives, clubs and other weapons, and commandeer city buses to charge troops' formations. As darkness comes, protests become a full-scale riot with more vehicles taken, many burned. Government claims four policemen are killed when a commandeerred bus hits them. Outlying police substations and fire stations are raided. In Seoul, Prime Minister Shin Hyon-hwack and his Cabinet resign to accept responsibility for disturbances going on since May 1.
Wednesday, May 21 --Kwangju is isolated as long distance phone lines and bus service are suspended by official actions. The government-controlled Korean Broadcasting Service and tax office buildings are destroyed by fire, eight police substations burned or damaged. An estimated 1,000 demonstrators commandeer armored personnel carriers and other vehicles. Three citizen representatives meet with the province governor demanding removal of the troops from Kwangju by noon and talks with martial law authorities to settle the disturbances.
Trouble spreads to other cities of Cholla province including Mokpo and Naju. Armories are raided as the demonstrators try to seize weapons. Hundreds of thousands of citizens and protesters fill Kwangju's streets and in pitched battles the troops open fire, killing at least 11 rebels and wounding scores of others. Martial law commander Gen. Lee Hee-sung announces that soldiers are authorized to act in their own defense and calls on insurgents to end their rebellion. But after dark, decision is made to pull troops and police out of Kwangju, leaving it in hands of the demonstrators. Most provincial offiials leave with troops. Military casualties are not known.
Park Choong-hoon, a career businessman and bureaucrat, is named prime minister.
Thursday, May 22 -- Insurgents take over post in province headquarters. Many roam streets in commandeered vehicles, wearing riot police and military gear and brandishing weapons. Burned vehicles, logs and other materials are used to erect street barricades, while troops set up roadblocks and checkpoints on roads. At midday, 100,000 or more people hold rally in main plaza of Kwangju. Death toll frm three days of violence is estimated at 24. Demands by insurgents include government admission that paratroopers used excessive force, promise of no retaliation against rioters, compensation for victims families and other concessions. Martial law authorities say all weapons taken in rioting, a estimated 4,000, must be returned and they will withhold troops if order is obeyed and peace restored.
Prime Minister Park visits military compound outside Kwangju, apppeals in broadcast message for an end to rebellion, which he says was instigated by communist agents. Later he tells nation in television statement that South Korean faces "grave situation" and predicts a solution "in the near future." Death toll is put at 57.
Friday, May 23 - A cleanup of debris begins but the city remains tense as more troops are flown into a nearby airbase to bolster the paratroopers and police who ring the city. The citizens committee and student leaders continue talks with the martial law authorities and an effort to collect the weapons seized in the rioting begins. Other cities in the area are also reported in the hands of anti-government protesters but there is little violence, and no move is made by troops to take them over. In Kwangju, citizens demonstrate again and claim the trouble was cause primarily by the troops' brutal reaction to what began as peaceful demonstrations.
Late in the day, helicopters drop leaflets warning against further demonstrations and transport planes arrive at the nearby airbase.
Saturday, May 24 -- Fears of attack ease slightly when martial law authorities release 34 of 79 prisoners they said were taken in the rioting. Others, identified as "communist agents" will be held, they say. Officials also renew their pledge not to attack the city if weapons aresurrendered and order restored. Citizen leaders say they have recovered about 3,000 of the 4,000 weapons but student leaders declare they will not be given back to the army. The death toll rises to at least 107 based on a check of hospitals. Eyewitnesses to the rioting tell of seeing soldier clubbing, bayoneting and shooting citizens during the earlier melee.
Sunday, May 25 --Signs of normal life begin to appear in Kwangju but the negotiations on a truce are deadlocked, primarily by a split between the committee of oder citizens negotiating with martial law authorities and radical student leaders who make tougher demands and refuse to allow the weapons to be given up. The martial law command annonces that neogiiations on a truce are "broken off" because of the squabbling between the student radicals and the citizens committee. The foreign ministry warns all foreign embassies to evacuated their nationals from Kwangju "as soon as possible."
Monday, May 26 -- Government troops reposition some of their roadblocks and checkpoints closer into the city, applying what appears to be a strategy to squeeze all the insurgents into one area of the city. President Choi, who secretly visited the region Sunday, is quoted as having told the local officials to treat the rioters with patience and restraint.
Students say they have accounted for 261 dead, all civilians. The figure doubles the known death toll in the rioting and is the highest in any civil disturbance in recent Korean history. For the fifth day, thousands of people gather in the central plaza to hear reports on the truce talks and show solidarity, but the crowd is much smaller than in previous days. Student leaders say they want the United States, as a "firm ally" of South Korea, and other foreign governments to help mediate the dispute by exerting influence on the Seoul government. A state department spokesman says in Washington it is difficult to see how an outside government could help.
Tuesday, May 27 -- Martial law authorities warn the rebels that they have two hours to surrender or be attacked. The student leaders pass out some of the weapoons stockpiled in the provincial headquarters command post and defy the order. At 4 a.m., paratroopers using tanks and heavy machine guns as well as small arms move into the center of the city and in a firefight that lasts nearly three hours recapture the building and end the rebellion. Martial law officials put the death toll in the day's fighting at 19, including 17 of the rebels and two soldiers. Nearly 300 are arrested and taken away as troops assume positions around the plaza and tighten martial law over the battered city of Kwangju. The governmnt says relief will be provided and calls on South Koreans to help "heal the tragic scars" of the incident.