- Title: SOUTH KOREA: MASS RALLY DEMANDS RETURN OF HIJACK VICTIMS.
- Date: 6th February 1970
- Summary: CROWD WITH BANNERS; LEAFLETS SCATTERED; SPEAKERS AND STUDENT ADDRESSING CROWD; STUDENT BITING FINGER AND WRITING IN BLOOD; CROWD. Initials AH/VS/AE/OS Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 21st February 1970 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
- Country: South Korea
- Reuters ID: LVA4X1817GPOR9UE0V8O8XIWRLQW
- Story Text: ABOUT 200,000 PEOPLE STAGED A MASS RALLY IN SEOUL YESTERDAY (THURSDAY) DEMANDING THE IMMEDIATE AND UNCONDITIONAL RETURN OF THE 51 PASSENGERS AND CREW OF A SOUTH KOREAN AIRLINER HIJACKED TO NORTH KOREA NEARLY TWO MONTHS AGO.
THE RALLY WAS ORGANISED ON NAMSAI HILL, OVERLOOKING THE CITY, AS HOPES DIMINISHED THAT THE HIJACK VICTIMS WOULD BE RETURNED IN TIME TO CELEBRATE THE LUNAR NEW YEAR WITH THEIR FAMILIES THIS WEEK-END.
ON TUESDAY, NORTH KOREA TOLD THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF RED CROSS SOCIETIES IN GENEVA THAT PASSENGERS AND CREW WOULD BE RELEASED SHORTLY -- THOUGH NO FIRM DATE WAS SPECIFIED. THE TURBO-PROP AIRLINER WAS HIJACKED ON DECEMBER II WHILE ON A SOUTH KOREAN DOMESTIC FLIGHT.
THE RALLY WAS ALSO ORGANISED AS A PROTEST AGAINST ALLEGATIONS THAT NORTH KOREA HAD ATTEMPTED TO OBTAIN CHOLERA GERMS FROM JAPAN. MESSAGES CONDEMNING THE ATTEMPT -- AND THE PROSPECT OF GERM WARFARE IN KOREA -- WERE ADOPTED AT THE RALLY AND ADDRESSED TO UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL U THANT AND TO THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION.
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