And soon after Lee's address, a policeman was reported killed in Taejon, 90 miles south of Seoul, when demonstrators plowed a hijacked commuter bus into a crowd of 300 riot police. A domestic news agency identified the victim as Park Tong Jin, 21.
Police said Friday that they detained 1,487 people throughout the nation Thursday, bringing to 9,578 the total detained since June 10. Only 245 have been formally charged.
621 Police Hurt
On Thursday alone, 621 riot policemen were injured, six police vehicles were burned, and 21 police substations were attacked throughout the country, the announcement said.
Police estimated that 73,500 people took part in street demonstrations, while 58,700 students demonstrated on 78 university campuses Thursday. The newspaper Joong-ang Ilbo reported, however, that more than 200,000 people poured into the streets in Seoul and 13 other cities Thursday.
Although police fired several canisters of pepper gas, a virulent form of tear gas, into the Myongdong section of downtown Seoul Friday night, the city center returned to its normal lively activity, filled with shoppers and young couples headed for nightspots.
A group of about 1,000 Catholics and other ordinary citizens, joined by only a smattering of students, sat down to stage a protest in the driveway of the Myongdong Catholic Cathedral but made no attempt to march into the street.
Professors Join Rally
At Korea University, an estimated 3,000 students burned a police vehicle at the main gate to the campus after 18 professors, in an unusual move, joined a student rally there.
Police deployed armored cars with multiple pepper-gas launchers to keep the students from marching out of the campus.
The 18 professors issued a statement declaring that "the government and the ruling party can no longer force their unilateral decision (to carry out the electoral college election) on the people." They also displayed placards demanding that the government "comply with the people's will" for a direct presidential election.
About 1,000 Seoul National University students took over the fifth floor of the school's library Friday and unfurled banners reading "Kick out America!" and "Terminate the Dictatorial Regime!"
No Final Exams
The on-campus turmoil continued despite government-ordered closings of campuses designed to deny students a rallying ground. Through Friday, 50 of the country's 103 universities and colleges had shut down for summer vacation without giving final examinations.
In Taegu, a professional baseball game was canceled because of fear that protesters might take stage a demonstration at the ballpark.
In Pusan, a port city 205 miles southeast of Seoul, the U.S. Consulate remained closed Friday for the third day as several thousand demonstrators, many of them carrying umbrellas in drizzling rain, renewed street confrontations with police in the afternoon.
Turmoil that began Thursday night in Pusan, the Joong-ang Ilbo reported, continued until 7 a.m. Friday--the first overnight protest reported in South Korea.
After midnight, protesters seized two trailer-trucks and a gasoline tank truck and formed a motorcade protest with about 200 taxis. Drivers yelled, "Let's go to the City Hall!" the newspaper reported.
Protesters Turned Back
Police were forced to use riot-control vehicles to barricade the City Hall and fired volleys of pepper gas for more than an hour to disperse the attacking motorcade and other protesters on foot, the newspaper said. The motorcade got to within 2,000 feet of the building before police turned them back, it added.
About 10,000 others tried to attack the Korean Broadcasting System station in Pusan but were stopped by the police. Some of the crowds threw rocks at the Japanese Consulate there, breaking 42 windows, Joong-ang Ilbo reported.
Friday afternoon, Kim, the Reunification Democratic Party leader, rejected ruling party overtures for him to meet Roh. Instead, Kim demanded a meeting with President Chun.
Kim said a meeting with the ruling camp's presidential nominee "would have little meaning at this moment."
A spokesman for the ruling Democratic Justice Party immediately rejected Kim's proposal for a meeting with Chun.
