When the Cheering Stopped

Reagan says farewell to Seoul, but the glow lingers on

The exultant crowds were gone, the banners proclaiming WE ALL LOVE YOU RON AND NANCY and FOR HE'S A JOLLY GOOD FELLOW no longer festooned the broad avenues of downtown Seoul. But a week after Ronald Reagan's three-day visit, South Korean officials were still aglow over the President's picture-perfect tour. For a government still recovering from the Soviet downing of Korean Air Lines Flight 007 last September and from the terrorist bombing in Rangoon last month that killed 16 South Korean officials, the Reagan trip was a welcome morale booster. Most important, the visit assured perpetually edgy Seoul of the U.S. commitment to its defense, especially against its northern neighbor.

The government also was heartened by the way Reagan handled the topic of human rights, a prickly issue between the two countries since the days of the Carter Administration. South Korean President Chun Boo Hwan sees dissent as grist for the propaganda mills of North Korea and thus tantamount to treason. Reagan has some sympathy for Chun's position, and during the visit he applauded South Korea for its "continued progress toward the broadening of democracy." At one point, during a reception at the U.S. embassy, the President's text called for him to mention "human rights." Aware that the phrase nettles Chun, Reagan substituted "democratic rights."

Reagan's delicacy, however, did not impress government opponents. According to South Korea's National Council of Churches, about 400 political prisoners are in the country's jails, while another 400 political prisoners are banned from holding office. The opposition was particularly incensed that Chun had placed several hundred dissidents, including priests and journalists, under house arrest for the duration of the trip. Said Kim Young Sam, the leading dissident politician in Seoul: "I had no objection to Mr. Reagan coming here, but his visit should not result in support for the dictatorial regime."

Most South Koreans remain unperturbed by President Chun's policies. With the economy still recovering from the worldwide recession, the growing middle class seems to prefer stability to the unrest that it fears would accompany a relaxation of political repression. Still, Chun is not considered personally popular, partly because many South Koreans remember the bloody riots that followed his rise to power in 1980. His efforts to exert greater control over the nation's industries failed, though he is given credit for reviving the economy and building South Korea's diplomatic ties, most notably with Third World countries like Burma and Sri Lanka.

Chun continues to pledge that he will step down and that elections will be held in 1988, when his seven-year term expires. But no obvious successor stands in line and Chun is unlikely to let opposition leaders return to the fray. Some Western diplomats suspect, as a result, that he will attempt to stay in office. Reagan seemed to discourage that notion, however, when he praised Chun's plan "for a constitutional transfer of power."

If Chun was heartened by the Reagan trip, Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone seemed pleased with the President's three-day visit to Japan. Hoping to ride the wave of favorable publicity that accompanied his meetings with Reagan--and to clear the air after last month's bribery conviction of his mentor, former Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka--Nakasone last week announced his intention to dissolve the lower house of the Diet and call general elections for Dec. 18. This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.