President Apologizes For Violence in Inchon

President Kim Dae-jung offered his apologies Tuesday for the violent police crackdown against Daewoo Motor Co. union members on April 10.

"Words cannot express my distress," Mr. Kim said. "The incident is truly regrettable."

Prime Minister Lee Han-dong followed by saying, "The government will thoroughly look into the incident, and hold those responsible accountable.

"I know that there were variables that prompted the violence, but the police should not use that kind of force under any circumstances," the prime minister added.

Presidential aides said Mr. Kim made the apology in order to accomplish two things: first, to prevent the incident from becoming a rallying point for South Korea's often-violent spring labor campaign, known as "spring struggle."

Mr. Kim is also attempting to defuse a potential partisan wrangle, especially at a time when the Korean economy is in the doldrums and foreign investors remain wary.

Also on Tuesday the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions along with six civic groups, filed suits against Lee Moo-young, commissioner general of the National Police Agency and Min Seung-kee, former chief of the Inchon Municipal Police Agency for abuse of power and attempted murder.

The national police commissioner, Mr. Lee, fired Mr. Min and Kim Jong-won, former head of the Bupyeong Police Precinct for their roles in the crackdown.

The incident occurred April 10 at the now-defunct carmaker's Bupyeong factory in the western port city of Inchon.

Police used clubs and anchors to prevent the 350 workers, who were demanding that their jobs be saved, from entering the labor union office at the plant.

Daewoo handed out pink slips to 1,750 workers at the factory on Feb. 19. It is the biggest layoff in Korean corporate history.

by Kim Jin-kook