Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-09-11
"A Korean General
Faces Murder Trial
BY EARL III. VOSS
star stan Writer

One Of the heroes Of last April's
student revolution in Korea was
1t. Gen. 70 Chan Song. widely
known among Westerners as
"Tiger" Song.
His stern hand had kept the
ROK army from n1assacring stu
dent revolutionists and from i'm
mersing South Korea in a blood
bath that might have surpassed
the tragedy Of the Korean War.
He was also given much of the
credit for persuading President
Syngman Rhee to step down on
the crucial morning Of April 26.
when rioters moved to the gates
Of the Presidential Palace.
When the revolutionists' new
broom started sweeping in Korea,
Gen. Song voluntarily stepped
down from his post as army chief
Of stair.
Now he Is charged with MUIR
der. He is accused Of ordering his
military police to kill an army
lieutenant colonel during the early
days of the war in 1850 without
due process Of law"
Was Division Commander
The execution, it is said. took
place at well-known Korean
temple in october, 1850. Gen.
Song. then a colonel, was COM
mander Of the famed Capital Di-
vision Of the Republic Of Korea
Army.
Until the murder charge was
filed last month, the American
Defense Department. showing the
high regard in which Gen. Song
is held by American officials both
in Seoul and Washington, had ar
ranged for the former martial law
commander in revolution torn
South Korea to begin a one-year
course at George Washington
University.
The Attorney Generals once
in Seoul, however, persuaded the
Korean Foreign Ministry to sus-
pend Gen. Songs exit permit. Now
he may not make the GNU course
this year.
Gen. Song, widely credited with
having cleaned up the sometimes
ScandalouS waste in the South
Korean Army's distribution of
both Korean and American sup
plies. had made his share of
enemies in the process.
He had removed many high
army officials in the purge"
which had been carried out under
the Rhee administration.
His moderation during the
April, 1860, revolution was adj
mired by most foreign observers
in Korea. including both Amer
lean military and diplomatic on
cials. Ruthless suppression Of
popular uprising might have had
the backlash effect Of causing the
disintegration Of the army.
A few days after the murder
charges were filed against Gen.
Song by the brother of the victim,
the general denied both the "mur-
der" charge and the accusation
that the deed had been done for
personal prejudice" -..
Authority for Execution
Army 1t. Col. Yung Koo Che
had been shot within the legal
authority given commanders by
the ROK Army headquarters. Gen.
Song commended.
The former army chief Of staff
quoted a ROK Army Letter of
Instruction No. H." issued in
Taegu, then the South Korean
Army headquarters, on the dark
and desperate day Of July Is,
1850, as follows:
IL. The authority Of summary
execution for battlefield desertion
without orders is granted to COM
manders of squad and above as OF
0000 hours. July 26, 1850.
80. Commanders who condone
battlefield desertion will be pun
ished as battlefield deserters.
"3. Battlefield deSertion means
retreat without order from the
point to hold and non-execution
Of ordered operation activities"
Gen. Song contended that 1t.
Col. Che had deserved the sum-
mary execution because he had
deserted his battle position three
times, at a crucial period Of the
war. Korean commanders were
taking desperate measures to per-
suade their army to stand and
fight.
The incident, Gen. Song re-