– CBS World News Roundup – Newsbreak – 9 am News – The World Tonight – April 14, 1980 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
Despite news of a rather lackluster turnout in the Maryland and Nebraska Primaries, Presidential election season groaned on – months away from the Conventions. The other news taking the headlines was happening in other places – Seoul, South Korea was the scene of rapidly escalating and increasingly more violent demonstrations on the part of Korean Students and the military. It would touch off and usher in the Kwangju Uprising against the military-backed Government, who achieved power by way of a coup in May of 1961. South Korea had been under Military control ever since and the demonstrations, mostly led by student from the nearby University were an attempt to ouster the government of Brigadier General Chun Doo-Hwan, who succeeded General Park Chung-Hee after his assassination earlier in April and had declared martial law.
As of this newscast, things were just beginning in Seoul and other towns ahead of the real crackdown which would start days later.
Meanwhile, President Carter was cracking down on the numbers of Boat People arriving from Cuba, which had gone pretty much unchecked ever since Fidel Castro opened the prisons and mental hospitals, allowing everyone who wanted, to go to America. The invasion of newly landed Cuban refugees quickly overwhelmed Miami and most Southern Florida towns. And with them, came an unprecedented crime wave, sweeping in on coattails.
And Detroit was knee-deep in bad news as the latest reports on car sales showed a dramatic downturn of new car sales on the parts of the Big Three. Some had it worse than others, but all agreed something had to happen soon if the Auto industry was to survive anywhere in the United States.
And while Seoul was getting ready to explode, and kids were committing suicide based on reading Richard Bach’s new book, that’s just a little of what happened everywhere else on May 14, 1980 as reported by The CBS World News Roundup – Newsbreak with Charles Osgood – the 9 am news with Richard C. Hottelet and The World Tonight.
