SECTION: International news
LENGTH: 636 words
BYLINE: PAUL SHIN *REPLACE*
DATELINE: SEOUL, South Korea
BODY:
Former President Chun Doo-hwan has been summoned for questioning on his alleged role in a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters 15 years ago, officials said Friday.
He became the second ex-president to be summoned for questioning for alleged misdeeds in office. His immediate successor, Roh Tae-woo, was arrested last month on corruption charges.
Prosecution officials said Chun, who was president in 1981-88, has been asked to appear for questioning Saturday. They indicated the summons could lead to his arrest.
It was not immediately known whether Chun, a retired four-star army general, would honor the summons. He has said he would resist any moves to punish him in connection with the crackdown in the southern city of Kwangju in 1980.
The summons was issued hours after President Kim Young-sam called for national efforts to correct historical wrongs, unequivocally referring to the Kwangju massacre, one of the country's most divisive political issues.
By official count, at least 240 people were killed and more than 1,800 others injured in the bloodiest civil uprising in modern South Korean history.
''We must resolutely clear the legacy of historic wrongs which have made our people sad and unfortunate,'' Kim said.
Kim is leading a campaign to sever ties with past military-backed governments. In 1992, he was elected the first president with no military background in 32 years.
Meanwhile, 4,000 students in four cities staged protests to demand that the punishments for Chun and Roh be harsh and that a neutral prosecutor be appointed to oversee the cases.
About 200 students in Roh's hometown of Taegu threw firebombs at police after a rally when prevented from marching in the streets.
About 2,000 students in Seoul and some 1,500 more in Kwangju also took to the streets, throwing rocks and beating police with heavy metal clubs. Police fought back, firing volleys of tear gas.
About 200 students also marched on southern Cheju island, but dispersed peacefully.
Chun and Roh, then army generals, seized power in a 1979 internal military coup and later sent tanks and troops to brutally crush the nine-day pro-democracy Kwangju uprising.
Roh was arrested last month for taking bribes from businesses over a dlrs 650 million slush fund he operated during his 1988-93 term. That made him the first ex-president to face criminal charges for wrongdoings in office.
If convicted, he could be sentenced to 10 years to life in prison.
The government is pushing a special law to punish Roh and Chun in connection with the Kwangju case. Officials said it would call for the death penalty.
Kim's decision to punish the two ex-presidents in connection with the Kwangju uprising is a reversal of his earlier position that history should judge the case.
Aides said the president changed his mind after Roh's huge slush fund scandal was uncovered.
Chun also faced corruption charges after he stepped down in 1988. He was forced to apologize to the nation, donate millions of dollars to the government and go into self-imposed exile at a remote Buddhist temple.
Kim stands to reap a huge political victory if he can force the two disgraced ex-presidents to stand trial in connection with the Kwangju tragedy. It would help improve his failing popularity ahead of crucial parliamentary elections in April.
But he also risks losing support from politically active pro-Chun and Roh groups. About half of the 168 government party legislators are considered pro-Chun and Roh.
The opposition claims the moves to punish the ex-presidents are an attempt at diverting public attention from the Roh scandal.
Many people think that some of Roh's illicit money was used for Kim's 1992 presidential campaign. Kim has denied the allegations.