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The official estimate of the embassy’s Political Section on the elec-
tion, which projected Kim Young Sam as the winner, was based on some
polling data that it had monitored, which was supposedly done very scientifi-
cally. It came as quite a surprise and embarrassment to them when Roh was
declared the winner. The day after the election, there was a report that the
results had been tampered with, but there was no hard evidence to back
such a claim.^7 Anyhow, the embassy was relieved and happy that the elec-
tion had been successful and that South Korea had moved another step
closer to full democracy. Ambassador Lilley was especially relieved that the
military had not intervened.The OlympicsJust as was a special year for Korea, so was it for Americans who were
lucky enough to be in Seoul for the Olympic Games. I accompanied
my family to many of the events, including the Opening Ceremonies. It was
quite a thrill and a spectacular show. I cannot remember any Olympics be-
fore or since that was organized or performed any better.
Our major professional concern during preparations for the games was
counterterrorism.^8 We had indications as early as the spring of that
the North would probably make trouble. It began with an increased propa-
ganda campaign, which included stepped-up charges of armistice violations
and the creation of several incidents along the DMZ. In March and April
came false charges that Seoul had eleven thousand cases of AIDS and at-
tempts to inflate student demonstrations, which the North portrayed as vio-
lent and dangerous to foreigners. This type of activity escalated throughout
and , culminating in the “Mayumi” bombing of a Korean Air-
lines flight from the Middle East to Seoul in November, .^9 By early
we were receiving reports indicating that the North Koreans might be plan-
ning even more disasters in a desperate attempt to sabotage the Olympics.
As always the South Koreans and Americans worked very closely, espe-
cially on intelligence, to ensure a terrorist-free Olympics. The details of the
specific actions taken to counter any further North Korean plots are to some
extent still secret. They included, though, a full-scale and greatly expanded
intelligence watch, the creation of a twenty-four-hour crisis-response cell
that was poised to react immediately, and the positioning of additional U.S.
strategic military assets within easy retaliatory distance of North Korea.
Further, there was a certain direct message passed to the North that made
it absolutely clear that any attempt to disrupt a peaceful Olympics would