ON THE BARRICADES – Global Resistance Roundup, April-August 2008
https://lists.resist.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/onthebarricades
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/globalresistance/
South Korea has been gripped by a months-long wave of demonstrations over
the resumption of imports of American beef, deemed by social movements to be
a risk of importing mad cow disease. The beef issue is a catalyst for
broader anger about free trade with America, the policies of the current
conservative government and the exclusion of popular movements from power.
* On June 30 protesters blocked roads and battled police after their
regular venue was shut off; protesters tried to remove police buses blocking
their rally point
* Police intimidation also worsened as police raided leading social
movement offices
* This has been widely interpreted as a return to dictatorial form by the
Korean state and elite
* Clashes, arrests and injuries were frequent at protests towards the end
of June
* Protesters blocked distribution depots to prevent the distribution of US
beef
* Religious groups also staged nonviolent protests to defy the crackdown,
leading what again turned into tens of thousands strong protests
* On July 2, car workers staged a symbolic strike in support of the
protests
* Clashes were again reported on Constitution Day and towards the end of
July
* Protests continued into August
* Bush's visit on 5th August prompted further protests; police attacked
with water cannons as protesters tried to rally
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/07/117_26731.html
06-30-2008 11:35
S. Korean Police Detain Over 120 Protestors Over Weekend
South Korean police took into custody more than 120 people who staged
violent protests over the weekend demanding a renegotiation of a U.S. beef
import deal.
About 1,700 people gathered at Jongno street in central Seoul at 9 p.m.
Sunday and hundreds of them stayed into the early morning hours. The
protesters rallied in several groups, unable to enter their usual protest
venue at Seoul City Hall plaza, which had been sealed off by police buses.
Police detained about 70 people into custody early Monday for illegally
occupying roads.
About 18,000 people also participated in the largest gathering since June
10.
Police fired water cannons and fire extinguishers and used batons against
protestors who hurled water bottles and eggs at them and tried to pull away
police buses with ropes.
The protests are expected to continue this week as organizers plan massive
demonstrations. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, the more radical
of South Korea's two umbrella labor groups, will launch a one-day general
strike to join the beef strike Wednesday.
Meanwhile, police raided the offices of two leading civic groups that
organized the beef demonstrations, including the People's Solidarity for
Participatory Government, Monday morning.
South Korea last week lifted a ban on U.S. beef imports and began quarantine
inspections of American meat that has been in storage since imports were
suspended last October.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/30/asia/beef.php
South Korean police raid offices of protest groups
By Choe Sang-Hun
Published: June 30, 2008
SEOUL: The police on Monday raided the offices of two civic groups accused
of leading weeks of protests against American beef imports. The raids
followed government warnings that it would get tough on the demonstrations.
One of the civic groups, the Korea Solidarity for Progressive Movement, said
the police confiscated 22 desktop computers and a box-load of documents from
its office early Monday morning. Hwang Soon Won, a civic group leader, was
taken away for questioning.
Shortly afterward, police officers barged into the office of another civic
group dedicated to fighting the government's agreement to lift a
five-year-old ban on importing American beef despite public concerns that
the meat may not be safe from mad cow disease. Computers, placards and
banners used during the protests were seized.
The police said the raids were necessary to collect evidence of illegal
street demonstrations, which President Lee Myung Bak said he would no longer
tolerate.
The two civic groups issued statements accusing the Lee government of
reverting to "dictatorship."
On Sunday evening the police sealed off major rallying points in central
Seoul after hundreds of police officers and members of the public were
injured during a beef import protest that began Saturday evening and
continued into Sunday morning.
Police buses cordoned off plazas and intersections where large crowds have
gathered almost daily since early May to demand that the government
renegotiate the deal that was reached in April. Police officers blocked
subway entrances and alleys leading to those rallying points.
Still, protesters broke into several groups of hundreds and marched Sunday
evening, engaging in sporadic shoving matches with the police. The police
detained more than 100 protesters for questioning.
The Korean Metal Workers' Union, which represents workers at 240 companies,
including the country's four major automakers, said 76 percent of its voting
members had agreed to a two-hour work stoppage on Wednesday to demand a new
beef deal and better working conditions.
The Catholic Priests' Association for Justice, an influential religious
group known for its struggle against the military dictatorships of the 1970s
and '80s, said it would lead an outdoor Mass on Monday to lend its moral
support to the protesters.
In April, South Korea agreed to lift the ban on American beef, imposed in
2003 after a case of mad cow disease was detected in the United States.
Officials in Seoul persuaded the United States this month to revise the
terms of the April agreement to placate the protesters.
But the protests continued, dashing Lee's hopes for an early end to what has
become the biggest political crisis of his four-month-old government.
http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?at_code=434743
Police Round Up Candlelight Protest Organizers
Arrest warrants issued for bloggers, NGOs associated with US beef protests
Ha Jae-geun (internews) Email Article Print Article
Published 2008-07-02 14:02 (KST)
Baek Seong-geun, the owner of "MichinCow.net" [Michin means mad or crazy in
Korean] who is wanted by the police for arousing suspicion of promoting the
ongoing candlelight protests -- attended by tens of thousands of citizens
daily all over the country -- left the following message on his website on
the evening of the June 30.
"As founder and operator of MichinCow.net, I am wanted by the police...
'Darkness has never overcome light.' Today, this statement has never felt
more true."
He added with anxiety, "As I hear of the group mass held by priests and see
the huge crowds in City Hall Square surrounded by riot police vans, my heart
raced and I so very much want to run and be with these people."
Baek continued: "At present, there is an arrest warrant out on me and I have
been wanted by the police for a few days now," and brought up his current
situation saying that he has left his home.
"My heart feels heavy as I couldn't even say goodbye to my parents before I
left."
However, Baek said, "I knew this would happen when I hosted the first
candlelight vigil on May 3. I had a premonition that this would happen to
me... I am fighting with the Grand National Party now. I am fighting with
the ChoJoongDong [short for the three leading newspapers in Korea: Chosun
Ilbo, JoongAng Ilbo and Dong-ah Ilbo] now. I am fighting with President Lee
Myung-bak now."
Baek continued, "I wondered if I was doing something too big for me to
handle. But I couldn't stop and I had to continue because of you: the hearts
of the mothers who came out to protest with their children in strollers; the
outcries of the teenagers who left their evening studies to march; the
farmers who sold their cows in order to come to Seoul and protests; and all
the Korean citizens who came to march in solidarity rain or shine."
Even though four subpoenas were served on him, Baek said he would not go to
the police of his own accord.
"First of all I find it offensive that they want to find the person who
'caused' the candlelight vigils. But I am not the one 'causing' you to
march... If I let myself be interrogated, it would wrong the will of the
Korean people who struggled through the candlelight vigils."
"If I use the way you explain yourself, I say to you: 'Why didn't you listen
to us when we were engaging in peaceful vigils? Why did you make the Korean
people this angry?' President Lee Myung-bak, you are the sole cause of our
protests."
Baek ended his letter saying, "I beg of you all. Please stop this
recklessness of this incompetent government. I will continue the fight but
away from your sight."
Netizens who have read his letter on "MichinCow.net" supported him by
leaving messages such as, "I feel ashamed for sleeping without worries." "We
will support you all the way with our candles." And, "Take care. We support
you."
Currently, the police have received arrest warrants for Baek, as well as
Park Won-seok, the team leader of The Anti Mad Cow Organization who were
both suspected of promoting the beef protests and the candlelight vigil. An
Jin-gul, the team supervisor of The Anti Mad Cow Organization, and Yun
Hee-Sook, the vice-chairman of The Korean Youth Organization, were arrested
on the May 28.
Huang Soon-won, the democratic human rights director of Korea Alliance For
Progressive Movement was also arrested on the May 30.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/jun2008/skor-j24.shtml
South Korean government tries to stem protests against US beef imports
By James Cogan
24 June 2008
Use this version to print | Send this link by email | Email the author
The South Korean administration of President Lee Myung-bak has announced
significant concessions in order to placate mass opposition to the lifting
of a ban on beef imports from the United States and broader discontent over
falling living standards.
US beef was banned from South Korea in 2003 following the discovery of a
case of Mad Cow disease in American cattle. Lee, from the conservative Grand
National Party (GNP) and a former chairman of the Hyundai conglomerate,
announced an end to the embargo in April in order to advance negotiations
toward a US-South Korea free trade agreement, which is desperately wanted by
Korean auto companies and other major corporations.
Lee’s decision on beef imports coincided with sharply rising prices for
fuel, food and other essentials, as well as a slowing economy and rising
unemployment. The ending of the ban was widely viewed as symptomatic of Lee’s
preoccupation with pleasing the Bush administration and the Korean corporate
elite, and his indifference to the concerns of ordinary people. Protests
against US beef sales rapidly escalated into a social movement against the
new government’s entire agenda, including its hard-line stance toward North
Korea and its plans to weaken the regulation of big business, privatise
state-owned companies and construct a controversial canal from Seoul to
Busan.
Despite an offer by Lee’s cabinet to resign, over one million South Koreans
demonstrated in 80 cities and towns on June 10, demanding that the president
go as well. He has only been in office since February, after winning
elections last December that were marked by popular disaffection from the
entire political establishment and a low voter turnout.
Since the June 10 protests, Lee has embarked on a desperate campaign to end
the protests. Negotiators were dispatched to Washington for crisis talks
with US trade representatives, aimed at amending the terms on which US beef
could be sold in South Korea. While declaring his government could not
re-impose a ban, Lee promised that no beef from cattle older than 30 months
would enter the Korean market. Though no American cattle have been diagnosed
with BSE since 2003, older stock is considered more susceptible to the
disease.
Lee also announced the suspension of privatisation plans and the scrapping
of the canal project. On June 19, he gave a nationally televised press
conference in which he issued a grovelling public apology. “I and my
government should have looked at what people want regarding food safety more
carefully, but we failed to do so,” he declared.
On Saturday, the government announced that it had secured a “voluntary”
agreement from the US that no beef from animals older than 30 months would
be exported to Korea. South Korean inspectors will also have the right to
inspect American slaughterhouses.
A strike by thousands of unionised truck drivers over fuel prices was
brought to an end on the Sunday after freight companies agreed—under
pressure from the government—to increase hauling rates by 19 percent.
Lee is expected to unveil a major cabinet reshuffle this week and has
dismissed a number of his aides and advisors. Finance minister Kang Man Soo
announced last Friday that the government’s “utmost priority” would be
“stabilising prices and looking after the lives of the people”.
The corporate media has played its part in seeking to restore political
stability. Editorials and opinion pieces have declared that the protestors
have succeeded in moderating the government’s policies and that further
demonstrations are therefore pointless and damaging to the economy.
The protests since June 10 have been small by comparison. Police estimated
that some 10,000 people took part in a demonstration on Saturday in Seoul,
though the organisers claimed that as many as 60,000 attended.
The lack of a political perspective, however, is as much a factor in the ebb
of the demonstrations as the government’s concessions and the media’s
lectures for protestors go home. The June 10 rally called for the bringing
down of Lee’s government. That posed the question of what was to replace it.
Millions of people at present do not have an answer. While they oppose Lee’s
policies, they have no confidence in the parliamentary opposition—the United
New Democratic Party (UNDP). Recent polls showed that the UNDP had barely 20
percent support, while Lee’s popularity stood at 17 percent.
The Democrats held power from 1998 until February under former presidents
Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moon-hyan. Kim Dae-jung’s administration was ruthlessly
pro-big business, imposing wage cuts, unemployment and high inflation on the
population in order to salvage the fortunes of corporations following the
1997-1998 Asian financial crisis. Moreover, it offered little resistance to
the bellicose US policy toward North Korea unveiled by the Bush
administration in 2001 that shattered initial steps towards a rapprochement
on the Korean peninsula and posed a real threat of war.
Roh Moon-hyun narrowly won the December 2002 elections by making nationalist
appeals to anti-US sentiment, which had been aggravated by the killing of
two schoolgirls by an American military vehicle earlier in the year. Upon
taking office, however, he fell into line with the Bush administration,
going as far as to agree to send more than 3,000 Korean troops to assist in
the occupation of Iraq. Roh’s administration suppressed workers’ demands for
wage rises to compensate for the cuts suffered under Kim Dae-jung and
assisted Korean companies to further erode working conditions, particularly
through the extension of casual contracts.
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU)—whose militant strikes
against the dictatorship in the 1980s were hailed by some as evidence that
trade unionism could achieve enduring political and social change—has
demonstrated its utter uselessness. It repeatedly capitulated to the
corporate agenda of the Kim and Roh governments, while promoting the myth
that they represented a “lesser evil” to the GNP, the party of the old
dictatorial regime. The KCTU covers less than 10 percent of the workforce
and its membership has been in decline since 2002. After a decade of
widening social inequality, its one-day general strikes are widely viewed by
workers as unserious.
The disillusionment with the KCTU was sharply revealed in the vote taken on
June 13 on whether the federation should stage a one-day general strike over
US beef imports. Only 271,000 of the 511,000 members voted, with 169,000—or
just one third of the total membership—endorsing a strike. The token
industrial action is scheduled to take place on July 2.
The movement against Lee was not initiated by the Democrats or the unions,
but by young people networking on popular web portals. International Herald
Tribune correspondent Choe Sang-hun reported on June 16: “There, people
suggested that they stop just talking and take to the streets. When a high
school student began a petition on Agora [a web forum] calling for Lee’s
impeachment, it gathered 1.3 million signatures within a week. The police
were caught off-guard on May 2 when thousands of teenagers networking
through Agora and coordinating via text messages poured into central Seoul,
holding candles and chanting ‘No to mad cow!’”
Beef imports were the trigger for the expression of pent-up social tensions
and the tremendous alienation felt by young people. After a decade of
economic hardship, million of people now have to endure the consequences of
rapidly rising inflation. In South Korea, food prices rose 4.7 percent in
May, transport costs by 10.6 percent, household costs such as electricity by
5.1 percent and furniture by 4.7 percent. Overall inflation hit 4.9
percent—a seven-year high.
Even if the current protests dissipate, the underlying discontent will not.
Its ultimate source is opposition to the inequality, injustice and
militarism of the capitalist profit system. The crucial question in South
Korea is the development of a genuine socialist movement that can give
conscious expression to the aspirations of the working class and youth for
political and social change.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/asiapacific/news/article_1413977.php/Several_hundred_protesters_injured_in_anti-US_beef_protests
Several hundred protesters injured in anti-US beef protests
Jun 29, 2008, 17:49 GMT
Seoul - Hundreds of persons were injured Sunday in new street clashes
between police and demonstrators protesting against new import rules
permitting US beef into the country.
Sunday's clashes were the worst so far since the protest demonstrations, now
being held on a virtual daily basis, began several weeks ago amid public
dismay over the Seoul government agreeing to permit imports of US beef.
The clashes came when demonstrators - estimated at some 15,000 - sought
Sunday morning to break through barricades and march on to the presidential
palace.
Organisers of the demonstraion said 300 to 400 protesters were injured,
while police spoke of more than 100 injured, including both demonstrators
and police officers.
Each side blamed the other for escalating the tensions.
Media reports said police used water cannons and fire extinguishers against
protesters. At the same time, protesters attacked police vans with iron bars
and hammers while also hurling stones and other objects.
Koreans are upset at the government for agreeing with the US in easing
import restrictions on American beef, amid fears of the BSE or so-called
mad-cow disease.
The mass protests have stirred a political crisis which at one point
culminated in the entire cabinet offering to resign.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/06/113_26551.html
06-26-2008 11:02
S. Korean Protestors Break Up After Violent Rallies
Protestors broke up early Thursday morning after staging violent rallies
overnight in central Seoul in protest against the implementation of a new
U.S. beef import deal.
About 700 people who had been rallying on roadways in front of Koreana Hotel
retreated to Seoul Plaza in front of Seoul City Hall at 5: 40 a.m. as police
launched a crackdown on protestors.
Most of them returned home but 100 others remained at the plaza, holding a
debate about the future direction of their protests, witnesses said.
Earlier, South Korean police used water cannon and detained more than 130
people as the protests turned violent.
Some 3,000 people tried to break through a barricade of police buses in
downtown Seoul by pulling the vehicles away. They wanted to march toward the
presidential palace of Cheong Wa Dae.
Police used hand-held fire extinguishers and water cannon to stop them. Some
demonstrators smashed bus windows and protestors and police exchanged kicks
and punches in the early-morning clashes.
Meanwhile, South Korean activists and unionists blocked the distribution of
U.S. beef stored at piers across the country Thursday morning.
The action comes after the government issued a legal notice to officially
resume U.S. beef imports. Members of civic groups and labor unions took part
in the protests.
The South Korean government announced a package of extra safeguards ensuring
the safety of American beef after week-long negotiations in Washington, D.C.
The announcement satisfied many South Koreans but some activists and
citizens were still against the new import deal, vowing to continue their
candlelight rallies that began in early May.
http://rss.xinhuanet.com/newsc/english/2008-06/27/content_8448777.htm
Three arrested in violent protest after U.S. import ban is lifted
SEOUL, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Three people were arrested as overnight
protests turned violent in downtown Seoul, where thousands of Koreans
clashed with police following the government's final move to resume U.S.
beef imports, police said Friday.
Protesters trying to march on the presidential office piled sandbags to
climb over a barricade of police buses near the Gwanghwamun district, while
police used fire extinguishers and water cannons to push them back, South
Korean news agency Yonhap reported.
Police detain protesters who tried to march toward the presidential Blue
House to demonstrate against the U.S. beef import deal in Seoul June 26,
2008. South Korea will allow the resumption of U.S. beef imports starting
Thursday, the farm ministry said, implementing an unpopular deal that
sparked street protests held by people fearing mad cow disease and caused a
crisis for the government.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
"Three people were taken away for engaging in illegal violence, and we
are trying to verify how many people and police officers were injured," said
an officer at the Jongno Police Station that covers Gwanghwamun.
Police said 3,000 people took to the streets, while organizers put the
crowd at 50,000. Discrepancies of this kind have become increasingly common.
Several opposition party lawmakers attempted to act as a buffer against
the violent clash, standing at the forefront of the protesters. They called
for a peaceful rally, criticizing police for using water cannons, which can
cause serious injuries when shot directly.
http://rss.xinhuanet.com/newsc/english/2008-06/27/content_8448861.htm
S Korea protesters block shipment of U.S. beef imports for 2nd day
SEOUL, June 27 (Xinhua) -- South Korean protesters continued Friday for
second day physically blocking the shipment of U.S. beef stored at piers
nationwide, according to Yonhap News Agency.
Hundreds of unionists from the South Korean Confederation of Trade
Unions (KCTU), the more militant of the nation's two umbrella labor groups,
gathered at major piers across the country, to prevent the distribution of
the U.S. beef.
Police surround domestic cattle breeders and a locally bred cattle during a
demonstration against the U.S. beef import deal in Gwacheon, south of Seoul,
June 26, 2008. South Korea will allow the resumption of U.S. beef imports
starting Thursday, the farm ministry said, implementing an unpopular deal
that sparked street protests held by people fearing mad cow disease and
caused a crisis for the government.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
At 12 piers around Gyeonggi Province in the metropolitan region, 20 to
50 unionists started to gather and resume the blockade of the U.S. beef.
The move comes as quarantine inspections of the U.S. beef started early
Friday after being postponed from the previous day, due to the blockade by
protesters.
Some 30 unionists, who stayed all night at the Gamman pier at the Busan
port, continued with their protest, saying a new beef agreement with the
U.S. fails to effectively address fears of mad cow disease and calling for a
completely new deal.
A deal was reached in April between Seoul and Washington to fully resume
the imports that had been halted or highly restricted since 2003, when a
case of mad cow disease was found in the United States.
South Korean and U.S. officials revised the April 18 agreement last week
in an effort to soothe fears of mad cow disease, saying American beef
imports are safe due to an effective inspection system.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/29/asia/korea.php
Hundreds injured in South Korean beef protest
By Choe Sang-Hun
Published: June 29, 2008
SEOUL: Hundreds of protesters and police officers were injured during a
violent rally against U.S. beef imports, officials said Sunday, a day after
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged South Koreans to believe that U.S.
meat was safe from mad cow disease.
The demonstrations, which coincided with the end of Rice's trip to Seoul,
highlighted the shifting priorities South Koreans place in their relations
with the United States.
While Rice and South Korean leaders, including President Lee Myung Bak,
huddled Saturday to discuss ways of getting North Korea to give up its
nuclear weapons programs, more than 18,000 people poured into central Seoul
to demand that the two governments discuss something else: renegotiating a
beef import deal.
On Sunday evening, the government sealed off major rallying points in
central Seoul by adding police officers, establishing blockades with buses
and rerouting car traffic. Groups of several hundred people held separate
protests, some marching and engaging in shoving matches with the police.
For U.S. and South Korean leaders, the past week should have been a moment
of celebration.
After years of negotiations, North Korea submitted a long-delayed account of
its nuclear weapons programs and demolished part of its main nuclear
complex.
But that news was eclipsed in South Korea by protests against U.S. beef.
Threats from North Korea, which had traditionally brought the United States
and South Korea together, no longer loom large among South Koreans after a
decade of reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula.
South Koreans also receive periodic breakthroughs in relations with North
Korea with caution because efforts to engage the North have always
alternated between progress and new deadlocks.
The protest that began Saturday evening was the largest since a rally on
June 10 brought together at least 100,000 people.
The demonstrations against U.S. beef started in early May and dwindled in
the past two weeks, but they have picked up again after the government
pushed ahead with lifting the import ban Thursday despite South Koreans'
concerns that U.S. beef may not be safe from mad cow disease.
On Sunday, Reuters reported that the Korean Metal Workers' Union, which
represents 230 companies, said that 76 percent of its voting members had
agreed to a work stoppage on Wednesday to demand a reworking of the beef
deal and better working conditions.
The metal industry union is under the militant Korean Confederation of Trade
Unions, which has more than 600,000 members at companies including Kia
Motors and Ssangyong Motor.
The country's president has warned that he will deal sternly with large
protests.
"We will choose those who instigate violent protests and those who use
violence to the end and bring them to justice," said a government statement
read Sunday by Justice Minister Kim Kyung Han.
Kim warned that the police would use liquid tear gas, something that they
have refrained from doing in the past decade.
Dozens of police buses lined boulevards in central Seoul and thousands of
riot police officers were dispatched as protesters began rallying Saturday
evening despite the government warning.
Clashes erupted late Saturday and continued into Sunday when thousands of
protesters tried to march on Lee's office. The police stopped them with
barricades built with police buses.
Protesters tied ropes to the buses and pulled at them. The police fired
water cannon and sprayed fire extinguishers. The demonstrators hurled rocks
and swung steel pipes while the police beat them back with plastic shields.
People hooked hoses to fire hydrants to make their own water cannon.
On Sunday, police officials reported that 112 officers had been injured and
35 police vehicles had been damaged. About 50 protesters were detained on
charges of assaulting police officers, the officials said.
Organizers of the protest said that 300 to 400 people had been hurt "because
of police brutality."
The first shipment of U.S. beef is expected to be released into the South
Korean market this week after quarantine inspections. South Korea imposed an
importation ban on U.S. beef in 2003 after a case of mad cow disease was
detected in the United States.
"I want to assure everyone that American beef is safe," Rice said at a news
conference Saturday. "We will continue to work with you to have consumer
confidence in that matter."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/30/world/asia/30koreabeef.html?_r=1&ref=asia&oref=slogin
South Korea Cracks Down on Suspected Protest Organizers
By CHOE SANG-HUN
Published: June 30, 2008
SEOUL, South Korea — The police on Monday raided the offices of two civic
groups accused of leading weeks of protests against American beef imports.
The raids followed government warnings that it would get tough on the
demonstrations.
One of the civic groups, the Korea Solidarity for Progressive Movement, said
the police confiscated 22 desktop computers and a box-load of documents from
its office early Monday morning. Hwang Soon-won, a civic group leader, was
taken away for questioning.
Shortly afterward, police officers barged into the office of another civic
group dedicated to fighting the government’s agreement to lift a
five-year-old ban on importing American beef despite public concerns that
the meat may not be safe from mad cow disease. Computers, placards and
banners used during the protests were seized.
The police said the raids were necessary to collect evidence of illegal
street demonstrations, which President Lee Myung-bak said he would no longer
tolerate. The two civic groups issued statements accusing the Lee government
of reverting to “dictatorship.”
Justice Minister Kim Kyung-han said on Sunday, “We will chase those who
instigate violent protests and those who use violence to the end and bring
them to justice.”.
Mr. Kim warned that the police would use liquid tear gas, which they have
refrained from using in the past decade. They commonly used liquid tear gas
against antigovernment demonstrators during the military dictatorships of
the 1970s and ‘80s and against labor activists of the 1990s.
On Sunday evening the police sealed off major rallying points in central
Seoul after hundreds of police officers and members of the public were
injured during a beef import protest that began Saturday evening and
continued into Sunday morning.
Police buses cordoned off plazas and intersections where large crowds have
gathered almost daily since early May to demand that the government
renegotiate the deal that was reached in April. Police officers blocked
subway entrances and alleys leading to those rallying points.
Still, protesters broke into several groups of hundreds and marched Sunday
evening, engaging in sporadic shoving matches with the police. The police
detained more than 100 protesters for questioning.
The Korean Metal Workers’ Union, which represents workers at 240 companies,
including the country’s four major automakers, said 76 percent of its voting
members had agreed to a two-hour work stoppage on Wednesday to demand a new
beef deal and better working conditions.
The Catholic Priests’ Association for Justice, an influential religious
group known for its struggle against the dictatorships, said it would lead
an outdoor Mass on Monday to lend its moral support to the protesters.
A protest Saturday night attracted more than 18,000 people, the largest
crowd since a rally on June 10 brought together at least 100,000 people.
Police officials said 112 officers had been injured and 35 police vehicles
had been damaged. About 50 protesters were detained on charges of assaulting
police officers, they said.
Protest organizers said that 300 to 400 people had been hurt “because of
police brutality.”
In April, South Korea agreed to lift the ban on American beef, imposed in
2003 after a case of mad cow disease was detected in the United States.
Officials in Seoul persuaded the United States this month to revise the
terms of the April agreement to placate the protesters.
But the protests continued, dashing Mr. Lee’s hopes for an early end to what
has become the biggest political crisis of his four-month-old government
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f8937914-4c88-11dd-96bb-000077b07658.html
Seoul moves to quell beef protests
By Anna Fifield in Seoul
Published: July 8 2008 03:00 | Last updated: July 8 2008 03:00
Lee Myung-bak, South Korea's embattled president, yesterday replaced his
agriculture, welfare and education ministers in an attempt to assuage public
anger over his government's decision to re-open the domestic market to US
beef.
The reshuffle was smaller than that expected when the entire cabinet
tendered its resignation almost a month ago at the height of nationwide
protest rallies. Analysts expressed doubt about whether it would placate the
protesters.
Han Seung-soo, prime minister, and Kang Man-soo, finance minister, will
retain their positions.
Lee Dong-kwan, the president's spokesman, said: "Economic difficulties are a
global phenomenon. It is not desirable to frequently change top policymakers
in charge of economic affairs."
But Choi Joong-kyung, the vice-finance minister in charge of foreign
exchange policy, was fired; the Korean won has declined 10.5 per cent
against the dollar this year. Kim Dong-soo, a deputy finance minister, will
replace him.
Korea has been in a state of upheaval for more than two months, as public
disappointment with Mr Lee's presidency - he took office in February - came
to a head over his decision to allow US beef back into the Korean market.
Beef imports were suspended in 2003 after a mad cow disease scare in the US
but Seoul last year accepted, as a side agreement to a bilateral trade deal
with Washington, a resumption of imports if the meat was declared safe by
the World Organisation for Animal Health, which it was.
Shops selling US beef - which is about a third of the price of Korean beef -
have been inundated with customers since imports resumed last week. But many
Koreans remain sceptical about its safety, with some media reporting that
Koreans have a gene that makes them susceptible to mad cow disease.
Ahn Byong-man, a presidential adviser for state planning, will become
education and science minister; Jang Tae-pyoung, former secretary-general of
an anti-corruption panel, was designated agriculture minister; and Jeon
Jae-hee, a lawmaker in the ruling Grand National party, was nominated health
minister.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aM.MDHGncWn4&refer=home
South Korean Priests Lead Peaceful Anti-Government Beef Protest
By Heejin Koo
July 1 (Bloomberg) -- South Korean Catholic priests led a peaceful protest
against U.S. beef imports late yesterday after the authorities cracked down
on recent demonstrations that turned violent.
About 200 priests with the Catholic Priests' Association for Justice held an
``emergency mass'' in the plaza in front of City Hall in the capital, Seoul.
It was attended by about 10,000 people, according to police estimates.
The clerics and protesters then held an hour-long parade, calling for the
government to renegotiate its beef deal with the U.S. Numbers grew to about
20,000 at the end of the march as people on the streets joined in, police
said.
Clashes between police and demonstrators June 28 and 29 left more than 100
people injured on each side. President Lee Myung Bak has been trying to
contain a backlash against his agreement in April to resume U.S. beef
imports.
Protesters have staged daily demonstrations for the past two months to
highlight the possibility of mad cow disease from imported U.S. beef.
Lee was forced to publicly apologize for his handling of the negotiations
and fired all but one of his top aides.
`Stern Action'
The government promised ``stern action'' against violent protesters on June
29. South Korean police yesterday raided the offices of AntiMadCow, an
umbrella group of South Korean consumer groups, food safety advocates and
student activists.
Mad cow disease is a brain-wasting livestock illness that scientists say is
spread in cattle by tainted animal feed. Eating contaminated meat from
infected animals can cause a fatal human variant that has been blamed for
the deaths of 151 people in the U.K., where it was first reported in the
1980s.
South Korea, once the third-largest importer of American beef, stopped
accepting shipments in 2003 when the U.S. discovered its first mad cow case.
Some beef was imported in 2006 and the ban was reinstated in October last
year.
The priests yesterday called on protesters to continue peaceful rallies.
They also began a fast over the resumption of U.S. beef imports and pledged
to hold a mass at the City Hall Plaza every evening at 7 p.m. Seoul time,
according to a statement distributed to the protesters.
The U.S. and South Korea agreed June 21 that South Korea will import beef
only from animals younger than 30 months, which are thought to be at lower
risk for mad cow disease. The U.S. agreed to verify the age of its exports.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2008/07/20087352124546633.html
S Korean car workers join protests
About 200 priests joined the protests [AFP]
Tens of thousands of South Korean car workers have added their voice to
opposition against resumed US beef imports.
The workers, along with about 200 priests, joined weeks of anti-government
protests on Wednesday, gathering at Seoul's city hall to condemn the
government of Lee Myung-bak, the president.
The protest came a day after US beef returned to South Korean stores under a
deal Lee struck with the US in April.
About 55,000 workers at South Korea's largest car manufacturer, Hyundai
Motor. and its affiliate Kia Motors, stopped work for two hours, union
officials said.
A Hyundai spokesman said the strike was expected to cost the companies about
$40.4m in lost production, or 2,900 vehicles.
"This is not a political strike, but a strike that is aimed at protecting
our right to health," Lee Suk-haeng, the leader of the Korean Confederation
of Trade Unions which organised the strike, told reporters.
Protesters warned
The union leader said his group planned to launch a nationwide consumer
campaign to boycott US beef.
About 55,000 workers stopped work for two hours [AFP]
The president's office denounced the walkout as an attempt to hurt the
nation's economy and vowed to deal sternly with strikes.
"Now it is time for everyone to return to work and pull together all our
energies and wisdom to surmount economic difficulties," the office said in a
statement.
US beef sales resumed on Tuesday, although they were limited to one store
run by a US beef importer.
Lee agreed to lift the import ban in April imposed in 2003, when the first
case of mad cow disease was discovered in the US.
This led to a backlash due to health concerns and a perception that South
Korea had backed down too easily to US pressure.
As the protests peaked in June at 80,000 people, the South Korean cabinet
offered to resign and Lee reshuffled top aides.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/216362,south-korea-auto-workers-strike-to-protest-us-beef-imports.html
South Korea auto workers strike to protest US beef imports
Posted : Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:04:00 GMT
Author : DPA
Category : Asia (World)
Seoul - Ten of thousands of South Korean auto workers went on a partial
strike Wednesday to protest the government's lifting a ban on importing US
beef. A spokesman for Hyundai, the country's largest carmaker, said said
44,000 workers would strike for two hours during both the day and night
shifts at four factories.
At affiliate Kia Motors up to 20,00 workers are expected to stop working for
two hours.
The strike was called by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU)
over a new import deal that allowed US beef to be sold Tuesday in South
Korea for the first time since imports were halted in 2003 after a US mad
cow case.
Since an April agreement to lift the ban there have been mass rallies
nationwide. The crisis has caused President Lee Myung Bak's approval ratings
to plummet and there have been calls for the resignation of the new leader,
who took office in February. His cabinet, however, offered to quit en masse.
Last week the two countries agreed on more stringent import criteria that
only beef younger than 30 months would be allowed into South Korea. Mad-cow
disease occurs mainly in older cattle.
The removal of the import ban was considered a condition for the
ratification of a South Korean-US free trade agreement by the US Congress.
Mad-cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, is a brain-wasting
illness that can be transmitted to people who eat infected meat.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/jul2008/skor-j03.shtml
South Korean government turns to repression to curb protests
By James Cogan
3 July 2008
Use this version to print | Send this link by email | Email the author
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has ordered the police to crack down on
the anti-government movement that has developed since his administration’s
decision to allow the resumption of US beef imports. The move is a response
to fears in the Korean ruling elite that social discontent is spiralling out
of control and aggravating an already unstable economic situation.
Lee’s office sought to outlaw industrial stoppages yesterday by an estimated
120,000 of the 511,000 members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions
(KCTU), called over both wage demands and in opposition to US beef imports.
Lee declared the stoppages were an “illegal and political walkout” and KCTU
leaders have been summoned to appear before the Ulsan District Prosecutors
Office. If they do not turn up, arrest warrants will be issued.
Hyundai Motors, whose 44,000-strong workforce closed down production lines
for two hours at plants in Ulsan, Jeonju and Asan, has announced it is
filing a petition for union leaders to be arrested and charged with
“obstructing its business”.
Some 29,000 workers at Hyundai affiliate Kia Motors also took part in the
brief stoppage, closing plants in Sohari, Hwaseong and Gwangju. Auto parts
manufacturers Mando and Halla Climate Control were affected as well. The
vast majority of workers at Daewoo Auto and Ssangyong Motors reportedly did
not strike. Outside of the auto industry, few KCTU members participated.
Despite its limited scope, the strike contributed to the general panic in
the South Korean corporate elite. The stock market Kopsi index plunged 2.6
percent in trading yesterday, the largest decline in three months and the
18th consecutive day of falls. The stock sell-off has been a response to
high oil prices, the government’s lowering of economic growth expectations
from 6 percent to 4.7 percent, rising inflation and the fear of political
instability.
South Korea recorded a trade deficit of $US284 million in June, a dramatic
reversal from the $1.03 billion surplus registered in May. The overall trade
deficit for the six months to June has reached $5.7 billion. The cost of oil
imports are the main cause, blowing out by 60.9 percent due to the global
rise in prices.
Inflation is accelerating. The consumer price index (CPI) rose by the
largest rate in June since the turmoil induced by the 1997-1998 Asian
financial crisis. The CPI increased by 5.5 percent, compared with 4.9
percent in May. So far this year, the Korean currency, the won, has fallen
by 12 percent, contributing to sharp price rises for oil, food and other
commodities. The Korean central bank is under intense pressure to raise
interest rates to shore up the currency and stem the exodus of foreign
capital. Five-year government bonds have already risen this year from 4.92
percent to 5.97 percent.
Lee’s prime minister, Han Seung-soo, told a press conference on Tuesday:
“The daily protests are making foreign investors avoid direct investment in
Korea and also discouraging investment by domestic businesses. The
credibility of South Korea’s economy is worsening rapidly.”
The protests began in April when Lee unexpectedly lifted the US beef ban,
which had threatened to obstruct negotiations toward a US-Korea free trade
agreement that will give Korean auto companies and other export industries
greater access to the US market. US beef imports were banned in 2003 after a
case of Mad Cow Disease was discovered in American cattle.
The protests against the decision rapidly developed into a volatile
expression of the pent-up discontent and alienation within the working class
and youth. Living standards have stagnated or declined since the 1997-1998
financial crisis, as successive governments have implemented policies to
protect the profitability of Korean corporations.
President Lee, a former Hyundai CEO who took office in February, is viewed
as an even more pro-big business figure than his predecessor Roh Moon-hyan.
The policies that Lee unveiled—privatisation, constructing a canal from
Seoul to Busan, changes to the education and health-care systems and support
for the Bush administration’s hard-line stance against North Korea—have been
widely opposed.
The US beef decision was seen as symptomatic of the government’s
indifference to the conditions facing ordinary people. Even though no case
of Mad Cow has been diagnosed in the US since 2003, thousands of young
Internet users discussed the lifting of the ban as evidence that Lee was
prepared to infect them in order to secure export opportunities for the
chaebols—the Korean corporate conglomerates. On June 10, an estimated one
million people demonstrated around the country, demanding Lee’s resignation
and the maintenance of the prohibition on US beef.
For weeks, the Korean media has been voicing demands of the ruling elite for
Lee’s administration to crack down on the demonstrations and suppress any
move by workers to take industrial action. Lee is now clearly acting.
Yesterday’s move to arrest union leaders comes in the wake of brutal police
actions on Saturday night against more than 20,000 people who assembled in
Seoul Plaza—the largest demonstration since June 10. Over 10,000 riot police
were mobilised to block an attempt to march on Lee’s presidential offices. A
barricade of 30 police buses blocked their intended route.
Footage quickly published on the Internet showed police rushing into crowds
of people and beating them with batons and riot shields, and demonstrators
being bowled over and flushed along the ground by high-pressure water
cannon. For the first time, the police added fluorescent dye to the water so
that protestors could be tracked down and arrested later. As many as 400
demonstrators required medical treatment, as did 112 police.
In an Associated Press clip police can clearly be seen striking a man with
the rim of their shields during one of their baton charges.
In another clip available on YouTube police officers can be seen repeatedly
kicking a young woman in the head and body as she lies on the ground. The
woman—later identified as a 24-year-old who said her family name was
Jang—suffered a broken arm and severe bruising. She told journalists: “I
continuously rolled my body to survive. They chased me, kicking me primarily
in the head. I was afraid that I could die.”
Among the injured were members of the Young Men’s Christian Association
(YMCA), who lay down on the road between the protestors and police in an
effort to stop the baton charges. Police ignored their pacifist gesture and
reportedly stomped on them and struck them with their batons as they ran
over the top of them. YMCA Korean secretary general Lee Hak-yeong told
journalists that his right arm had been broken. His associate, Hong
Gyeong-pyo, was kicked unconscious.
The government seized upon the violent clashes to issue a declaration on
Sunday that all further assemblies in Seoul Plaza were illegal and would be
prevented.
On Sunday evening, police blocked the subway exits to the Plaza, where
demonstrators intended to assemble, while hundreds of police fanned out into
the surrounding streets. A truck rigged with protestor’s broadcasting
equipment was towed away. At least 16 people who attempted to protest
against the police actions were arrested.
At the break of dawn on Monday, police raided the offices of the Korea
Solidarity of Progressive Movements, an organisation which has been
prominent in the almost daily protests since the beef import ban was lifted
in April. According to the Korea Herald, 23 computers, a laptop and boxes of
documents were removed.
At the same time, more than 50 police raided the Seoul offices of the People’s
Alliance for Countermeasures against Mad Cow Disease—the umbrella
organisation for the 1,700 groups involved in the protests. For more than 90
minutes, the police rampaged through the building. They removed three
computers, along with placards, banners and raincoats.
In response to the repression meted out to the Mad Cow Alliance, religious
organisations have taken responsibility for organising the daily protests.
The Catholic Priests’ Association for Justice held a mass in Seoul Plaza on
Monday evening, criticising the resumption of beef imports and calling for
the sacking of the police commissioner over Saturday’s brutality. Despite
promises of non-violence by the religious groups, thousands of police were
still mobilised on the streets. Protestant and Buddhist groups are planning
similar vigils over the coming days.
For the Mad Cow Alliance’s next major action, scheduled for Saturday, it is
calling for a massive turnout to turn the protest into a “Day of victory for
one million protesters”.
Editorials in the Korean press have made clear that the ruling class expects
the government to use overwhelming force to suppress the demonstration. The
JongAng Daily declared on Monday: “As a nation, we have entered into a
nightmare of lawlessness and anarchy... In our view the government should
respond strongly to the violent protests pursuant to laws and regulations.
It should not renege on its pledge to take the more radical leaders of the
protestors into custody for initiating the violence.”
Lee’s cabinet has announced that police will be granted the right to use
tear gas—a controversial move because tear gas was last used during the mass
demonstrations and strikes that led to the downfall of the military
dictatorship in 1987.
The instinctive resort of the ruling elite to police-state repression
underscores just how superficial the so-called “democratic” reforms since
1987 have been. Behind the façade of elections, the interests of the same
clique of powerful business families that benefited from the previous period
of military rule continue to be served.
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=592619&rss=yes
New mass protest against S Korean govt
23:10 AEST Sat Jul 5 2008
42 days 3 hours 18 minutes ago
By Park Chan-Kyong
Tens of thousands of South Koreans called for the scrapping of US beef
imports and the resignation of President Lee Myung-bak in the latest of a
series of mass protests in Seoul.
Waving flags and banners, the 35,000 people packed a broad street near the
City Hall in central Seoul, many of them sitting down on the damp pavement
in defiance.
They chanted slogans such as "Lee Myung-Bak out" and "People will triumph",
and a large red banner reading, "Mad Cow, Mad Government" was floated high
in the air.
Passers-by and vehicles were turned away from the area, which was sealed off
completely with barricades of police buses, parked tightly and manned by
thousands of riot police with shields.
Two months of demonstrations have been sparked by Seoul's agreement in April
to resume US beef imports, which were halted in 2003 after a US mad cow
disease case.
As Lee's government struggles to ratify a free-trade pact with the US and in
response to the protests, Seoul went back to Washington to negotiate extra
health safeguards, and the meat is now on sale.
"Aside from the beef issue, this government fills me with disgust," said a
32-year-old protester who works as a computer programmer.
"This government has lost public confidence, betrayed people's expectation
for economic turnaround and worsened education problems," he said as his two
young nephews in prams were playing with yellow protest balloons.
The crowd grew as more and more groups arrived after the rain stopped,
although generally the number at protests has fallen sharply since 100,000
people gathered in Seoul on June 10, according to police estimates.
An umbrella grouping of activists, the People's Association for Measures
against Mad Cow Disease, said hundreds of people, including young
Christians, would serve as "human shields" to separate the protesters from
riot police.
"In order to prevent any violent clashes with riot police, religious
leaders, leading activists and parliament members will lead the march," it
said in a statement.
Protesters have previously clashed with police, with more than 200 people
hurt in running battles last Sunday.
Supporters of the newly installed conservative government say left-wing
professional agitators have been taking over some rallies, a charge denied
by the protest groups.
Analysts say beef is not the only source of public dissatisfaction. Policy
failures due to inexperience, economic woes deepened by high oil prices and
Lee's alleged authoritarian style have also stoked resentment, they say.
Lee has twice apologised to the nation for his handling of the issue and
sacked top aides, but says rallies should now stop.
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200807/200807180020.html
Constitution Day Sees Protests Turn Violent Again
Anti-government street protests in Seoul once again turned violent on
Thursday when protesters smashed police buses and police turned water
cannons on them. It was the first time since June 29 that the protests
became violent. Some 1,500 protesters tore wire netting and smashed the
windows of four police buses that blocked their way to Gwanghwamun from the
Anguk-dong intersection at around 10 p.m. on Thursday, which was
Constitution Day. The police responded by shooting water cannon and spraying
protesters with fire extinguishers. Some protesters wrested the fire
extinguishers from the police and sprayed back.
The People's Association for Measures Against Mad Cow Disease had gone all
out in efforts to mobilize protesters, but only 3,500 people turned up. The
figures are disputed, as the association claims there were 20,000.
Participants were mostly members of stalwart progressive groups, including
Jinbo Corea, the New Progressive Party, the Korean Confederation of Trade
Unions, and the Korea Teachers and Education Workers’ Union, but
participation from ordinary citizens has drastically declined. Police say
protesters are becoming more violent because they have lost their mainstay
and driving force.
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7011512716
New Mass S Korea Beef Protest Demanded President's Resignation
ShareThis
July 5, 2008 2:57 p.m. EST
Mayur Pahilajani - AHN News Writer
Seoul, South Korea (AHN) - Tens of thousands of South Koreans protested
against the government's plan to resume U.S. beef imports under a new
agreement between the two sides.
Police estimate 50,000 people turned out in Seoul on Saturday in the renewed
demonstrations demanding he resignation of President Lee Myung-Bak and
stopping the beef import plan.
In the latest mass protest, the crowd gathered in front of City Hall in the
capital city of Seoul, waving banners, flags and candles.
Last month, the United States had struck a deal on beef exports with South
Korea to ease the concerns related to meat safety.
South Korean President's administration announced that it had reached a deal
with the U.S. to ensure the safety of beef imports in the country.
The U.S. has agreed not to export beef to South Korea from cattle older than
30 months, which is believed to carry a higher risk of mad cow disease or
BSE, to quell public concern that sparked a political crisis.
The new mass protest is in the series of weeks long demonstrations sparked
by the initial decision by the authorities to ease the quarantine
regulations on U.S. beef based on the April 18 agreement with Washington.
Protesters have previously clashed with police, forcing riot troops to fire
water cannon and arrest 228 people. Around 100 protesters and 40 security
officers were wounded in the clashes, with a male citizen reportedly
suffering a cerebral hemorrhage.
The U.S. beef imports were suspended for more than four years following the
first U.S. case of mad cow disease in a Canadian-born cow in 2003 in
Washington State.
It was planned that the markets will be reopened mainly for the U.S. to send
in all cuts of beef from cattle of all ages but the countries like Japan
will not be allowed as the locals still fear of mad cow disease.
However, after the latest agreement between the two countries, they will now
introduce an age verification system.
Meanwhile, President Lee Myung-bak, who took office in February, has seen
his popularity decrease among the masses, especially after the widespread
protests started.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/07/113_27461.html
07-13-2008 10:16
Protestors Rally Against US Beef Imports in Central Seoul
Thousands of South Koreans Saturday staged rallies against the resumption of
U.S. beef imports in downtown Seoul despite pouring rain, calling for the
renegotiation of a beef deal with the U.S.
At 7:30 p.m., the protestors started marching through streets alongside the
Cheonggye Stream that runs through the heart of Seoul, chanting slogans
calling for the renegotiation of the deal.
Protesters had planned to hold rally in a plaza in front of Seoul's City
Hall at 7:00 p.m., but failed as police blocked their approach.
Police in riot gear blocked the march, but there were no significant
clashes. Early Sunday morning, police dispersed the remaining hundreds of
protestors.
South Korea lifted a ban on U.S. beef imports on June 26 after the U.S.
agreed on June 21 not to export beef from cattle older than 30 months to
South Korea. It was the latest additional measure to address South Koreans'
safety concerns over U.S. beef, which they fear may carry mad cow disease.
In April, South Korea reached a deal to import U.S. beef from cattle of all
ages, sparking weeks of street rallies and candlelight vigils.
The nationwide protests against U.S. beef started on May 2 in downtown
Seoul.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24086463-5005961,00.html
Police clash with beef protesters
Article from: Agence France-Presse
Font size: Decrease Increase
Email article: Email
Print article: Print
From correspondents in Seoul
July 27, 2008 09:15pm
SOUTH Korean riot police clashed with protesters in Seoul today, detaining
43, when a rally against US beef imports turned violent, officials said.
Police wielded riot shields and sprayed hand-held fire extinguishers at the
demonstrators, who hit back with kicks and punches in clashes that left
dozens hurt on either side, according to witnesses.
Those held were among 1000 protesters who took to the city centre late
yesterday and into the early hours of today.
"Police rounded up at least 43 violent protesters, who are now under
questioning,'' a Seoul police spokesman said.
During the rally, a drunk driver ran his car through the demonstrators,
injuring five people.
The driver was arrested, the police spokesman said.
Tens of thousands of people have rallied in South Korea since early May
against the proposed resumption of US beef imports, which critics say could
increase the risk of mad cow disease.
South Korea was once the third largest market for US beef, with imports
worth $US850 million ($886.99 million) a year until they were suspended in
2003 after a US case of mad cow disease.
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200807/200807210016.html
‘Guerrilla’ Protests Paralyze Seoul Traffic
Traffic in downtown Seoul was in chaos due to a series of street protests
from Saturday evening to Sunday morning. Some 500 protesters marched through
Jongno and Euljiro and completely cut off traffic in the nearby Dongnimmun
and Seoul Station area for nine hours, from the time when the march began in
Cheonggye Plaza at 7:20 p.m. on Saturday to 4:30 a.m. on Sunday, when the
protesters finally reached Seoul Station.
Instead of the People's Association for Measures Against Mad Cow Disease,
whose leadership has been significantly weakened, a small number of groups
such as the radical National University Student Council or Jeondaehyup led
the protests. Without a concrete plan, the protesters carried out guerrilla
rallies, marching without direction from the Cheonggye Stream through Jongno
and Namdaemun to the Seoul Railway Station.
Drivers in the downtown area were caught in the middle as protesters
suddenly appeared on the roads, and the police could do nothing but watch.
Demonstrators began their all-out guerilla strategy from 1 a.m. Sunday,
simply changing direction when police blocked their way. This lasted for
seven hours in the pouring rain. About 400 cars were caught for more than 30
minutes between the Seodaemun Station and Dongnimmun.
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2892527
Protests dwindling to hard-core supporters
July 19, 2008
A few protesters swing metal pipes at a police bus near Anguk Subway
Station in Seoul after ending a candlelight demonstration Thursday night. By
Kim Tae-seong
Constitution Day’s candlelight vigil turned into a violent demonstration by
a dwindling number of hard-core protesters.
Police detained seven people on charges of occupying streets and wielding
metal pipes and sticks at around 3 a.m. yesterday in Jongno, downtown Seoul.
The 71st candlelight protest organized by the People’s Conference against
Mad Cow Disease had been scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday at Seoul City Hall
Plaza, but access to the area was blocked by 10,000 riot policemen.
Undeterred, an estimated 3,500 demonstrators gathered at the Cheonggye Plaza
where they chanted anti-government slogans and shouted: “Guarantee
candlelight vigils!” and “Lee Myung-bak must step down!”
The organizer had anticipated a turnout of tens of thousands.
At around 9:30 p.m., demonstrators tried to march to Insa-dong, but riot
police blocked them and most protesters left. After midnight police started
to disperse the remaining 150 demonstrators. Some resisted, shattering
windows of police buses with metal pipes and sticks.
In response, police turned water cannons on the protesters.
Meanwhile, the Seoul Central District Court yesterday sentenced a
44-year-old protester, Lee Sang-don, to 18 months in prison and a 200,000
won ($197) fine for climbing up a riot police bus in downtown Seoul and
hitting two policemen with a metal pipe during a street rally on June 8.
Both victims had injuries that required two weeks of medical treatment.
The Seoul National Police Agency said that they have detained 987 people
during the candlelight vigils organized across the country from May 2
through June 30. Police also said that 770,000 demonstrators took part in
the protests. Some 477,000 police officers were dispatched to keep order.
They were sometimes too aggressive, according to Amnesty International, an
international human rights group. The group released a report yesterday
critical of some police actions while noting that some protesters also were
violent towards police.
“The protests were generally peaceful, but there were some incidents of
violence (between protesters and policemen),” said Amnesty researcher Norma
Kang Muico.
By Park Sang-woo Staff Reporter [spark@joongang.co.kr]
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/international/americas/2008/07/21/166484/South%2DKorean.htm
South Korean police detain 16 protesters of U.S. beef
AFP
Monday, July 21, 2008
SEOUL -- South Korean police said Sunday they had detained 16 demonstrators
during an overnight rally in Seoul against U.S. beef imports. The detainees
were among 1,600 protesters who took to the streets of the capital from
Saturday evening through early Sunday, Seoul police said.
Demonstrators let off firecrackers and police fired water cannons, but there
were no major violent incidents, police said. Riot police blocked the
protesters from key downtown areas. "Sixteen people have been put in police
custody for questioning over the charges of illegally occupying the
streets," a police spokesman said.
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2892879
Protests turn into violence
July 28, 2008
Protesters against resumption of U.S. beef imports confront riot police on
the streets near Jonggak subway station in central Seoul early Sunday
morning after demonstrating at the Cheonggye Plaza on Saturday night.
[YONHAP]
Candlelight protests turned into another violent confrontation with riot
police on Saturday and early Sunday morning as a thousand demonstrators
started street protests at 9 p.m. in Jongno streets, central Seoul, after
holding candlelight vigils against resumption of imports of American beef at
the Cheonggye Plaza.
The vigils turned political as some protesters circulated pamphlets critical
of Kong Jung-tack, a conservative running for superintendent of the Seoul
Metropolitan Office of Education. Kong’s rival, Jou Kyong-bok, showed up at
the plaza to ask for support in the election on Wednesday. Riot police
started dispersing protesters at 11 p.m. as they occupied Jongno streets. In
the process, some protesters fell over a street fence and were injured.
After midnight, a drunk driver identified only by his surname Cho hit six
protesters when he tried to make a U-turn to get away from the crowd. He was
later arrested. No serious injuries were reported.
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200808/200808070022.html
Police Get Serious in Cracking Down on Protests
Police have become more active in their response to illegal street protests
after being accused of passivity in the last couple of months. On Tuesday
night, police issued verbal warnings to some 2,700 anti-Bush demonstrators
every time they tried to occupy the streets and did not hesitate to arrest
anybody who violated the law.
Protesters, apparently used to rather lax treatment, seemed taken aback by
the prompt action taken by the police. Thanks to strict law enforcement,
traffic in downtown Seoul was back to normal before midnight. Demonstrators
seemed to have learned the lesson from the night before, and after only
three warnings from the police, those who rallied in front of KBS in Yeouido
on Wednesday night dispersed without much resistance.
Police took unprecedentedly swift action on Tuesday night, having earlier
warned they would deploy water cannon and arrest violators. They tracked
down especially violent protesters and arrested them when they fled, a task
made easier by spray cans they turned on them. Protesters scattered into
smaller groups of 100 to 300, and the crowds dispersed to Euljiro, Toegyero
and the Myeongdong Cathedral. Traffic downtown was normalized by 11:30 p.m.
Up until a few days ago, police reacted with forbearance and did not prevent
demonstrators from occupying the roads, and even after issuing warnings they
waited for hours overnight until the protesters dispersed voluntarily. Water
cannon were used only to protect barricades set up by police buses.
Accustomed to lax reaction from the police, the demonstrators did not flinch
when the police issued warnings, and did not give into water cannons. On
July 26, some 1,500 demonstrators freely walked along the streets downtown
for 12 hours, and kidnapped, stripped and beat two police officers.
Police promised rewards to officers to encourage them to act against illegal
protesters. Seoul Metropolitan Police Commissioner Kim Seok-gi said,
"Actions disturbing law and order have continued throughout the
demonstrations in recent months. We decided to introduce the reward system
to boost the morale of police officers since there were officers who avoided
arresting protesters because of the danger at the rally scenes."
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/080816/world/skorea_protest
SKorea arrests 157 in protest against US beef: police
Module body
Sat Aug 16, 2:14 AM
SEOUL (AFP) - South Korean police hosed protesters with water laced with
blue dye and mobilized specially-trained plainclothes officers to break up
an anti-government demonstration late Friday and early Saturday, witnesses
said.
The Seoul Police Agency said it had arrested 157 people on charges of
staging illegal demonstrations in central Seoul. There were no immediate
reports of injuries.
Some 5,500 people showed up for the 100th candle-lit rally to protest
against South Korea's resumption of US beef imports and against policies of
President Lee Myung-Bak of the conservative Grand National Party, police
said.
They chanted "Lee Myung-Bak Out!" and "Renegotiate the beef deal," witnesses
said.
Police sprayed water mixed with blue dye at demonstrators and arrested
offenders whose clothes were tainted by the pigment after the crowd
dispersed into neighbouring streets and alleys, witnesses said.
Police also brought in plainclothes officers, who are specialized in chasing
and overpowering offenders during street protests.
Such personnel, although used widely by past authoritarian governments, have
been seldom seen in the street during the past 10 years of liberal rule.
South Korea's April decision to resume US beef imports sparked months of
street protests. Because of fears over mad cow disease, Seoul suspended US
beef imports in 2003.
The rallies largely subsided after Seoul secured extra health safeguards for
US beef imports.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,397985,00.html
Thousands of Protesters Water-Bombed as Bush Arrives in South Korea
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Aug. 5: South Korean protesters stage a rally against U.S. President George
W. Bush's visit in Seoul.
SEOUL, South Korea — Police fired water cannons at thousands of protesters
Tuesday as President Bush got a volatile reception in South Korea at the
start of his three-nation Asian trip.
Dueling demonstrations reflected mixed sentiments in this U.S. ally, where
public opinion surveys remain generally positive about America, though many
people decry Washington for a variety of issues. Bush will meet Wednesday
with President Lee Myung-bak for the third time since the conservative,
pro-American leader took office in February.
Some 18,300 police were on high alert with riot gear and bomb-sniffing dogs
to maintain order during Bush's brief visit, the National Police Agency
said.
About 30,000 people gathered in front of Seoul City Hall for an afternoon
Christian prayer service supporting Bush's trip. Large South Korean and U.S.
flags were held aloft by balloons overhead along with a banner reading,
"Welcome President Bush."
"The United States made sacrifices for South Korea during the Korean War and
helped us live well," said Kim Jung-kwang, a 67-year-old retired air force
colonel who wore his military uniform to the rally. "The United States is
not our enemy. Without the U.S., we will die."
Related
Seoul Divided
As evening approached, an estimated 20,000 anti-Bush protesters gathered
nearby. Police turned water cannons on them as they tried to move onto the
main central downtown boulevard, telling the crowd that the liquid contained
markers to tag them so they could be identified later.
"I don't have anti-U.S. sentiment. I'm just anti-Bush and anti-Lee
Myung-bak," said Uhm Ki-woong, 36, a businessman who was wearing a mask and
hat like other demonstrators in an apparent attempt to conceal his identity.
The anti-Bush crowd dwindled later in the evening to several thousand
people, with the hard-core remnants turning aggressive. Protesters shattered
the windows of a police bus and authorities responded by again firing water
cannons.
About 70 demonstrators were arrested, police said, in addition to another 12
near the military airport where Bush landed.
Bush held off on visiting Seoul earlier this year when protesters staged
nightly candlelight vigils and repeatedly clashed with riot police over
imports of American beef, saying Lee ignored public health concerns over the
possibility of mad cow disease and failed to consult with citizens. Lee has
promised to patch up relations with Washington that became strained under
Seoul's previous decade of liberal governments.
Bush calls Lee a friend, which is good considering the raft of sensitive
topics they will tackle before the American president heads to Thailand,
then to the Beijing Olympics.
At the top of the list is getting North Korea to live up to its commitment
to dismantle its nuclear weapons program.
Sunday is the earliest that Washington could move to strike North Korea from
a list of state-sponsors of terrorism, a long-held demand from Pyongyang.
But first, Washington wants the North to agree to procedures for verifying a
declaration of its nuclear programs that Pyongyang submitted to the
international arms talks — six months late and with fewer details than the
U.S. originally demanded.
Washington has called for North Korea to allow thorough inspections and
interviews with nuclear scientists, but Pyongyang has so far not accepted
the proposal.
"We're at a very critical moment now for the North Korean government to make
a decision as to whether or not they're going to verify what they said they
would do," Bush said in an interview with China's state-run CCTV last week.
"It's one thing to say it, but I think it's going to be very important for
them to understand that we expect them to show us."
Grateful for South Korea's troop contribution in Iraq, Bush also will try to
persuade Lee to make a bigger contribution in Afghanistan to help deal with
the Taliban's resurgence.
"Obviously we'd like to see a greater role for South Koreans in Afghanistan,
if the South Korean people are willing to move in that direction," Dennis
Wilder, the National Security Council's senior director for Asian affairs,
told reporters on Air Force One.
Also on the agenda will be efforts by both presidents to have their
legislatures approve a free trade agreement, with estimates it could
increase bilateral trade by 25 percent. But with free trade deals with
Colombia and Panama stalled in Congress, the prospects for ratification by
the end of the year are unlikely.
Bush will meet with U.S. troops based in South Korea, as he did during a
stopover in Alaska, where he expressed gratitude for their role in fighting
terrorism.
"About a year ago, people thought Iraq was lost and hopeless," Bush said at
Eielson Air Force Base, where he posed for photos with airmen and soldiers
and worked the crowd, at one point lifting a baby in the air. "People were
saying, 'Let's get out of there, it doesn't matter to our national
security.'
"Iraq has changed — a lot — thanks to the bravery of people in this hangar
and the bravery of troops all across our country. The terrorists (are) on
the run. The terrorists will be denied a safe haven, and freedom is on the
march. And as a result, our children are more likely to grow up in a
peaceful world."
Bush's Asia trip also includes stops in Thailand and China. In an interview
aboard Air Force One with The Washington Post, Bush said it was "really hard
to tell" whether human rights in China had improved over the past eight
years.
Bush said he speaks candidly with Chinese President Hu Jintao about human
rights, but he skirted a question about a pre-Olympics security drive by
Chinese authorities.
"They're hypersensitive to a potential terrorist attack," Bush said in the
article for Tuesday's editions of the paper. "And my hope is, of course,
that as they have their security in place, that they're mindful of the
spirit of the Games, and that if there is a provocation, they handle it in a
responsible way without violence."
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200808/200808250009.html
19 Held Over Weekend Protests in Seoul
Police arrested 19 protesters in demonstrations against U.S. beef imports
near the Myeongdong Cathedral and Gangnam Subway Station and in
Apgujeong-dong on Saturday night and early Sunday.
Police said some 250 protesters, most of them members of Agora web forum on
portal Daum, rallied from 6 p.m. on Saturday until 6 a.m. the following
morning, disobeying police order to disperse and shouting slogans such as
"Down with Lee Myung-bak!"
Separately, another group of about 200 protesters staged guerrilla-style
rallies by swiftly moving from one location to another in the Gangnam Subway
Station area and Apgujeong-dong from around 7:10 p.m. on Saturday until 2
a.m. on Sunday.
Police sprayed protesters with colored water and arrested seven for illegal
occupation of roads.
http://www.wisconsinagconnection.com/story-national.php?Id=1936&yr=2008
Protests Over U.S. Beef Flare Up Sgain in South Korea
USAgNet - 08/19/2008
Despite recent progress made in resuming U.S. beef exports to South Korea,
some protesters continue to voice and act out their displeasure regarding
the agreement. Early on Saturday, South Korean police arrested 157 people
during an overnight rally in downtown Seoul opposing the resumption of U.S.
beef imports, reports MeatPoultry.com.
On Friday, Aug. 15, which is a national holiday in South Korea, about 5,500
people rallied in the capital. The protest continued until early Saturday,
at which time police fired water cannons to disperse the crowd. Police made
arrests on charges of staging unauthorized demonstrations, illegally
occupying streets and defying orders to disperse.
In July, the first shipment of U.S. beef under the newly brokered U.S. beef
export deal arrived in South Korea, amid some lingering local concerns over
bovine spongiform encephalopathy that were fueled by sensationalized news
reports questioning the safety of U.S. beef. South Korea struck an agreement
with Washington in April to resume U.S. beef exports to their country,
however, weeks of protests throughout South Korea followed.
http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20080816-82666.html
S Korea arrests 157 in protest against US beef: police
Sat, Aug 16, 2008
AFP
SEOUL (AFP) - South Korean police hosed protesters with water laced with
blue dye and mobilized specially-trained plainclothes officers to break up
an anti-government demonstration late Friday and early Saturday, witnesses
said.
The Seoul Police Agency said it had arrested 157 people on charges of
staging illegal demonstrations in central Seoul. There were no immediate
reports of injuries.
Some 5,500 people showed up for the 100th candle-lit rally to protest
against South Korea's resumption of US beef imports and against policies of
President Lee Myung-Bak of the conservative Grand National Party, police
said.
They chanted "Lee Myung-Bak Out!" and "Renegotiate the beef deal," witnesses
said.
Police sprayed water mixed with blue dye at demonstrators and arrested
offenders whose clothes were tainted by the pigment after the crowd
dispersed into neighbouring streets and alleys, witnesses said.
Police also brought in plainclothes officers, who are specialized in chasing
and overpowering offenders during street protests.
Such personnel, although used widely by past authoritarian governments, have
been seldom seen in the street during the past 10 years of liberal rule.
South Korea's April decision to resume US beef imports sparked months of
street protests. Because of fears over mad cow disease, Seoul suspended US
beef imports in 2003.
The rallies largely subsided after Seoul secured extra health safeguards for
US beef imports.
Memories of Another day
While my Parents Pulin babu and Basanti devi were living
No comments:
Post a Comment