SEOUL. June 5: Vowing to uproot student violence, the government ordered a nationwide search Thursday for all students who took part in a four-day rampage that left two people dead, reports AP.

Just hours earlier, thousands of members of a radical student group began dispersing after accepting responsibility for the beating death of one of the victims.

"The government, using all its powers, should ferret out those responsible for the violence." Prime Minister Koh Kun said in ordering the widespread search at an emergency ministerial meeting.

Koh also apologised to the nation for the government's inability to prevent the violence, triggered oy student demonstrations demanding the resignation of President Kim Young-sam.

"I will uproot student violence." he said before attending the funeral for Yoo Ji-woong. a policeman who was killed Monday night during a clash with students. Yoo was hit by a police armoured vehicle.

Thousands of students, meanwhile, filtered out of Seoul universities overnight. They

had been holed up on the campuses since Friday, demanding that the government allow them to hold a rally celebrating the election of new leaders.

Some 2,000 students then gathered at Seoul National University to hold a hurried, shortened version of their inaugural celebration, which had been banned by the government because the organisation is seen as a tool of Communist North

"I stand here and promise that our anti-government efforts from now on will be peaceful." said Kang Eui-won, the head of the student group Han-chongryun.

Kang, wearing a black head-band and tie, said his group accepted responsibility for the Wednesday death of Lee Seok. a 23-year-old factory worker.

Lee was tied down and beaten by students Tuesday night because he was suspected of being a police Informant. Hanchon-gryun said he was left in the student council office overnight, and was unconscious Wednesday morning. Lee was taken to the Hanyang University hospital and declared dead on arrival.

A preliminary autopsy report Thursday showed Lee died

from loss of blood after massive internal bleeding.

Kang said students responsible for the beating will be turned over to the police later Thursday.

AFP adds: South Korean Prime Minister Koh Kun today ordered the arrest of radical student leaders after a presumed police informant was beaten to death on a Seoul campus.

"The government must mobilise all available police forces, hunt own the leaders of the recent violence and behind -the-scene forces and sternly punish them,1' Koh told an emergency meeting of Cabinet ministers.

He also called on the government to take steps to put an end to what he called repeated violence by student radicals, and ban them from using campus student halls and raising money by operating vending machines.

Under the directive, which called for the crackdown to be completed by the end of the month, police set up task forces in provinces and major cities across the country to hunt down the leaders, those responsible for the death and others involved in violence.