295. Telegram From the Embassy in Korea to the Department of State0
841. CINCPAC for POLAD. Reference: Embtel 758.1 Large scale rioting broke out anew at Masan 1820 hours 11 April following recovery from sea of body of Kim Chu-yol, 17 year old student missing since March 15 demonstrations. Press reports, corroborated by intelligence sources, provide following details and sequence events. After short memorial services Kim’s body returned Masan provincial hospital where crowd approximately 1,000 teen-aged students assembled demanding body for conveyance to Seoul. When refused, crowd moved through city streets toward local police station, snowballing in strength as it moved; reported to have reached strength of 10,000 or more and to have consisted largely of adults by 2130 hours. Crowd shouted “Death to Yi Ki-pung” and “Down with Syngman Rhee regime.”
Rioters broke into Masan police station and stole unknown number weapons and hand grenades. According one source weapons subsequently used fire on police and one grenade thrown by crowd wounded estimated eleven policemen including Chief of Police. (Other sources indicate Police Chief actually severely beaten by demonstrators.) By 2130 hours crowd was out of hand, throwing bamboo spears, overturning police vehicles and damaging public and private buildings. Masan Police Station, LP headquarters, three police boxes and homes of Mayor, Chief of Police, several LP party members severely damaged.
Five hundred police reinforcements reported dispatched Masan from Pusan at 2130 hours. One unconfirmed report indicates sizeable crowds rioters swarming aimlessly through city streets as late as 0300 12 April. No indication that government planned use troops.
According press reports, corroborated by USIS officer who visited Masan last night and again this morning, general population joined in this riot in contrast to March 15 demonstrations when students took lead and adults stood by. Police retired before rioters and avoided firing for some time. Eventually they did fire 200–500 rounds and succeeded in dispersing crowd. Since only one demonstrator reported killed and only [Page 615] four seriously injured appears that police must have been firing to intimidate and not for effect. Although USIS observer reported that city relatively quiet early this morning, reports just received that large numbers Masan students again demonstrating.
USIS officer who saw Kim’s body during evening reported that it was badly decomposed with severe abrasions on back of head and one arm and four wooden pegs driven through right eye. As yet local press has not carried such detailed facts although several newspapers have reported that student died from a shot or shots through eye.
Comment: Personal observations Embassy officers who in Masan at time March 15 incident and today indicate situation there extremely volatile with large scale open resentment against administration and particularly police. Against this highly sensitive background further disturbances there not unlikely and could spread, particularly to such opposition strongholds as Taegu where DP had previously scheduled demonstration for today.
Embassy will continue to follow situation closely and will report further.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 795B.00/4–1260. Confidential; Priority. Repeated to CINCPAC.↩
- Telegram 758 from Seoul, March 21, reported that the death toll from the rioting at Masan was probably higher than authorities had indicated. The Embassy noted that the government had backed away from allegations that the riots were Communist-inspired, and that President Rhee had issued a statement in which he attributed the Masan incident to “thoughtless people” who instigated innocent children. (Ibid., 795B.00/3–2160)↩