When South Korea danced in the streets

A veteran newspaper man who has been covering things Korean for more than 30 years was elsewhere when the South Koreans poured out into the streets a half century ago. The protesters in the streets of Egypt had nothing over the people of South Korea at that critical moment when after rigged elections, the public anger tossed out the Syngman Rhee dictatorship.
T'was a time of great joy and release and promise of democratic reforms. Alas, under the stewardship of John Chang Myon, the Seoul spring within months turned into a colonels' coup with Park Chung Hee at its head.
And Park lasted almost two decades until his own generals assassinated him.
Nonetheless that moment 50 years ago the South Korean people stood tall and free and nursuing the long desired freedom and democracy and detente with the North.