Pyeongyang journalists, protesters duke it out

DAEGU ― Enraged by the protests of South Korean civic groups against their “dear leader,” Kim Jong-il, North Korean reporters covering the global university sports meet here scuffled with the activists yesterday. No one was seriously hurt, and police said no charges would be filed.
About 20 protesters gathered yesterday afternoon at the media center for the games to show their displeasure with the apology that President Roh Moo-hyun made to the North in connection with earlier anti-Pyeongyang protests in which North Korean flags were burned. They also complained about what they said was doting coverage given by the Korean press to North Korean athletes and the bevy of attractive young women who were sent here from North Korea to cheer on their teams.
The activists were holding three banners denouncing the North Korean regime. “Rescue North Koreans by bringing down Kim Jong-il,” one said. A group of North Korean journalists passed the protesters on their way to the media center and took photos of the group. Shortly thereafter, a smaller group of Pyeongyang journalists left the center to cover an inter-Korean tennis match and this time yelled angrily at the demonstrators. One charged the group and ripped down a banner, triggering a 10-minute free-for-all.
The police in the area were apparently taken by surprise, and did not immediately react. During an exchange of punches, Norbert Vollertsen, a German doctor and advocate for North Korean defectors, fell and was sent to a hospital for treatment. Another protester, Jang Hyeong-ryeol, was also treated at a hospital for minor injuries.
The head of the Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency, Lee Byung-jin, said the incident occurred too abruptly for the 70 police on the scene to prevent it. He added that there would be no action taken against the North Koreans because, he said, they caused only minor injuries to the protesters. The latter, he added, broke no laws. The protesters want apologies from both North Korea and the police; Jon Kuk-man, the head of the North Korean sports delegation, said at a press conference last night that his team might return home if the protesters were not punished and an apology received from the government along with a promise that protests would end.

by Hwang Sun-yoon, Ko Soo-suk