NBC Boxing Coverage Cited : Roh Asks S. Koreans to Stop Criticizing U.S. on Olympics

SEOUL — President Roh Tae Woo and other top officials today called on South Koreans to stop criticizing the United States for a series of incidents during the Olympics and to remember the nations’ close ties.

“We should not let one-time feelings damage the traditionally friendly relations between the United States and our nation,” Prime Minister Lee Hyun Jae said amid outbursts of anti-Americanism and growing admiration for the Soviet Union during the Games.

South Korean newspapers and television networks have bristled with angry denunciations of the NBC television network for its coverage of a boxing incident last week in which South Korean boxing officials attacked a referee who awarded a match against a local favorite.

But Roh defended NBC coverage, saying, “Even if the reports of NBC included something that hurt our self-esteem, we should put up with it, since most of the network’s reports were affirmative.”