How to Get Out the Vote

Three hundred high school students marched through the walled city of Suwon last week on their way to attend a Democratic Party political meeting. A swarm of black-uniformed police broke up the paraders. One of those knocked to the ground was a 17-year-old boy. When he was pulled to his feet by a white-gloved cop, blood ran down the boy's temple and he was crying.

The policeman lectured him: "You know you are free to attend Vice President Chang's meeting, don't you? You know we police won't try to prevent you?" The sobbing boy bowed low, and the officer continued: "But you insist on marching along shouting 'We want our freedom!' You know that represents a political demonstration against the government, don't you?" Bowing repeatedly, the student tried to beg forgiveness, but the cop interrupted him: "Now, we will not allow you to attend the meeting. On account of your bad behavior you must come with us instead."

Terrified, the boy flung himself at the feet of a plainclothesman who had been grinning throughout the interrogation. "Don't let them!" cried the groveling boy. The plainclothesman watched laughing as the boy was put aboard a police truck.

High on a Hill. South Korea was getting set for this week's national election. The race for the presidency will be a fourth-term walkover for venerable President Syngman Rhee, 84. Death last month for the second time removed his only opponent (TIME, Feb. 29). For Vice President, Rhee and his Liberal Party nominated Lee Ki Poong, 63, an ailing automaton so unpopular that he has not campaigned at all. Four years ago Lee Ki Poong lost by more than 200,000 votes to the Democratic candidate, Roman Catholic John Chang, 60.

In an open and honest election, Chang might well win again. But the police and Rhee's administration have resources of their own. Chang found himself unable to hire public halls or athletic fields, and bus and taxi service was mysteriously "suspended" whenever Democrats tried to hold meetings. At Suwon, Chang had to hold his rally on a high, bare hilltop while white police Jeeps filled with black-uniformed cops circled the hill and held attendance down to 3,000.

At the southern port city of Yosu, the Democratic Party treasurer was beaten to death with iron bars. In Kwangju, a young Catholic leader was stabbed to death by the local chief of Rhee's green-shirted "AntiCommunist Youth League."

Leader of Three. But an even more impressive assurance of proper voting is something called "cell voting." Rhee's Liberal Party has printed 60 million "training sheets" that are identical with the ballots which will be used this week.

In rehearsals, teams of nine voters carefully practice marking the training sheets for Candidates Rhee and Lee Ki Poong.

Come election day the nine-man teams will be subdivided into groups of three who will enter the polling place together, with their "leader" in the middle so that he can observe how the other two vote. This system was successful in a by-election last fall where the Democratic candidate's vote was cut from 17,000 to 800.

At week's end, amazed that the election rigging was being "misunderstood" in Korea and abroad, President Rhee and Lee Ki Poong urged the Liberal Party to "strive for clean elections" and to end the "practice voting with model ballot sheets." As an added inducement, the Home Ministry promised that on election day each polling place will be surrounded by the tough, pro-Syngman Rhee South Korean police "to guard against possible terrorism."

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