NOTICE/DISCLAIMER: The content of this page is UNOFFICIAL and the views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of anyone associated with this page or any of those linked from this site. All opinions are those of the writer and are intended for entertainment purposes only. Links to other web pages are provided for convenience and do not, in any way, constitute an endorsement of the linked pages or any commercial or private issues or products presented there. Neither the DOD, the Air Force, the 8th Fighter Wing nor Mickey Mouse has endorsed any of this site. All Air Force links are publicly accessible through the worldwide web. If there is any discrepancy between eye-witness accounts and OFFICIAL DOD records, this site opts to lend credence to the eye-witness views.

Korean Protests:

APRIL 2003:

Anti-War Protest National Assembly Sit-in (1 Apr 03)

The following is from the Korea Herald:

Protests intensify against war

Activist groups yesterday intensified their protests aimed at disabling the government's plan to send non-combat troops to support the U.S.-led military campaign, a day before the National Assembly is scheduled to vote on the authorizing bill.

Hundreds of activists verbalized their discontent with the war and the planned troop dispatch in a rally organized by over 20 civic groups in front of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul. Members of 12 local movie-related associations issued a statement opposing the U.S.-led strike on Iraq at an ad-hoc 'anti-war camp' assembled at Myeongdong Cathedral in the capital's downtown area.

Approximately 1,000 labor unionists sat through the night alongside civic group members in front of the National Assembly complex to urge lawmakers to reject the government bill that calls for dispatching 600 military engineers and 100 medics to the Gulf.

Over 30 members of the Democratic Society, a group of liberal attorneys, also staged a sit-in protest at their office last night to demand the Assembly dismiss the bill.

An official at the lawyers' group said attorneys from Korea and Japan adopted a joint declaration urging their governments to withhold troops from Iraq during a forum held in Hiroshima, western Japan last week.

Thousands of activists, students and local citizens are expected to attend a massive rally in Yeouido, near the Assembly complex today to increase pressure on lawmakers ahead of their vote on the troop dispatch bill. Amid rising anti-war sentiment, the Assembly delayed voting twice on the bill last week.

Students at Seoul National University will stage a one-day boycott of classes today to hold an anti-war rally accompanied by some of their professors.

More than 87 percent of the university students voted in favor of boycotting classes.

Six other universities including Ewha Womans University and Pusan National University plan to go on a collective strike Friday to denounce the war.

Four associations of college professors said in a news conference they will debate until the end of April the 'unjustness' of the U.S.-led military campaign on Iraq in their classrooms.

(khkim@koreaherald.co.kr)
By Kim Kyung-ho Staff reporter

On 2 April protests continued with expected vote on 3 April. Thousands attended rally at National Assembly in Youido, Seoul to apply pressure to legislators prior to their vote on the 2nd of April. "The U.S. invasion of Iraq is a one-sided massacre, not a war, and sending troops would make Korea an accomplice to invasion," a group of civic organizations said.

Students and professors of Seoul National University (SNU) held a rally against the war in Iraq during the SNU student council's boycott of classes. Many of classes were postponed or called off because of low attendance due to the boycott.

Rev. Mun leads the anti-War march at National Assembly (04 Apr 03)

Anti-War confrontation at National Assembly (02 Apr 03)

OhMy News had some video of the demonstrations. The demonstrations confrontation was mostly pushing and shoving of the riot police, though a few demonstrator did receive minor cuts. Some demonstrators climbed atop the riot police buses, but were expelled. Other supporters honked the horns of their cars as they passed the National Assembly.

President Roh appealed to the nation to support his decision to deploy troops to Iraq, saying that assisting the United States would help resolve the North Korean nuclear issue peacefully. "I have reached the conclusion that assisting the United States in its time of difficulty and solidifying the Korea-U.S. relationship would be much more helpful in peacefully resolving the North Korean nuclear issue than driving relations to worse terms," he said in his first speech before the National Assembly.


Anti-War confrontation at National Assembly (02 Apr 03)

Although a majority of South Koreans are opposed to the Iraq war, a growing number of people support the government plan to dispatch troops to help the U.S. military action and more than 80 percent of the public "understand" President Roh Moo-hyun's troop deployment decision. A recent survey of 1,500 people showed some 55 percent of people support the government's troop deployment decision while about 43 percent object to it.

Roh Appears to be Winning Some U.S. Hearts and Minds

President Roh Moo-hyun is in trouble for backing the U.S.-led war against Iraq and offering to contribute non-combat troops.

Currently, Roh is under intense public fire, especially from those who voted him into office last December, for backing what they term the unjustified U.S. aggression against Iraq.

Despite mounting criticism, Roh stands firm in his support of the United States, a sign of his change of heart toward a key ally.

The president's unequivocal support for the military campaign appears to have helped mend diplomatic fences with the United States while easing some concerns Washington has about him.

"Roh made the right choice to support the war. It played very well here within the U.S. government," Victor Cha, a Korea expert and professor at Georgetown University, told Yonhap News Agency.

Cha added that the head of state made a positive impression by showing himself as pragmatic and flexible.

Echoing Cha's remarks, Joel Wit, a senior fellow of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, also said Roh's gesture was a smart way for him to achieve a peaceful resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue.

"Roh needs to build up his influence with the U.S. administration. To do that, he has to demonstrate to them that he is a good ally and that he can support the U.S. on certain things without reservation," Wit said in a recent interview with Yonhap News Agency.

So far, Roh has not been perceived positively in Washington, where many critics openly questioned if he is a man they can work with and whether the half-century alliance can be saved.

During the presidential campaign last year, Roh, who once called for the pullout of the 37,000 American soldiers from the South, vowed to put bilateral relations on an equal footing and not to be bossed around by the United States. This stance unleashed a barrage of criticism in Washington of Roh and South Korea.

Since taking office in February, however, the president began to soften his rhetoric toward the U.S., as the international standoff over the North's nuclear programs showed no signs of abating.

In a sign of his apparent change of heart, Roh has begun to use every opportunity to dispel widespread American concerns about him and stress the importance of the bilateral alliance, which hit a rocky patch late last year when anti-U.S. sentiment swept the county.

Now, the strenuous efforts to repair the diplomatic damage, including his explicit endorsement of the war, seemed to have paid off in Washington as it eased some criticism of South Korea.

"There is a lot of uncertainty in Washington about the Roh government. As a consequence, the Korean decision to support the U.S. effort could be viewed as a way to reassure the U.S. that the Roh government is not a radical anti-American government," said Marcus Noland, a senior fellow of the Institute for International Economics.

Donald Gregg, who served here as U.S. ambassador and is now chairman of the New York-based Korea Society, also hailed Roh's backing of the United States, noting, "South Korea has always been a staunch ally of the United States, and President Roh is continuing that proud and welcome tradition."

After the war broke out last month, Roh was quick to support the U.S.-led efforts to oust Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and offered to send army engineers and medical personnel to Iraq, claming it would serve the national interests.

"President Roh thinks it is in Korea's interest to demonstrate support for the United States at this time," said Michael Breen, a longtime Korea observer. Breen stressed that this would put him in a better position to request U.S. support for his approach to North Korea.

Some analysts reckon the United States could reciprocate by taking into account more of the South's position in the process of resolving the nuclear dispute.

"This (troop dispatch) could be expected to contribute to an improvement in political relations between Washington and Seoul, and could have the effect of encouraging Washington to consider more carefully the views of the Roh government on issues relating to North Korea," Noland added.

Indicating an apparent reward, the U.S. has recently taken steps which seem to be aimed at accommodating Seoul's stance while easing its concerns the North may be the next U.S. target after Iraq.

Senior U.S. officials, including Vice President Dick Cheney, who is known as a key hawk in the Bush administration, told visiting Foreign Minister Yoon Young-kwan last week that North Korea is different from Iraq and the nuclear standoff could be resolved through diplomatic efforts.

Yoon told reporters the United States appears to have considerable trust and interest in South Korea's support for the war.

By committing troops, Roh seems to have won the hearts and minds of Bush administration officials and demonstrated he is a man Washington can work with, which analysts said could help in peacefully resolving the nuclear dispute.

Yet, it remains to be seen whether Roh would continue his charm offensive if the diplomatic approach fails and the recalcitrant North refuses to make concessions to end the crisis.

By Kim Kwang-tae
entropy@yna.co.kr

The National Assembly endorsed the much-debated troop dispatch bill. The vote count was 179 in favor, 68 against and 9 abstentions with 256 out of 270 legislators casting votes. The Blue House (Cheong Wa Dae) hoped the decision will solidify the South Korea-U.S. alliance. The Defense Ministry said it would send a 3-man advance team to the U.S. war command post in Kuwait to discuss the timing and placement of South Korean troops joining the military campaign against Iraq.

Roh told the National Assembly in his first address to parliament since his inauguration, "I came to the conclusion that helping the United States in difficult times as an ally and cementing relations between the two countries will be of great help in resolving the North's nuclear issue peacefully."

The National Assembly applauded him for his reasoning. Roh had said, "As you have seen in the case of Iraq, the United States will not make its decision on the North's nuclear issue on a moral basis." "Accordingly, for a peaceful solution to the nuclear issue, the strong alliance between South Korea and the United States, among other things, is crucial." This is disturbing that we have a friend that appeases the U.S. though he considers its actions immoral because he needs to use them to solve his problem. This is a trusted ally??? (NOTE: The revised official translation on 4 April is ""As in the case of Iraq, the United States will not determine its attitude toward North Korea on the basis of justice alone. This is the reason why the Korea-U.S. alliance is more important than anything else for a peaceful conclusion to the North Korean nuclear issue.")

Roh also said the troop dispatch plan has "greatly contributed" to allaying concerns among foreign investors about conflicts in relations between Seoul and Washington. In other words, it was a low-risk PR device to show that the "alliance" between the U.S. and Korea remained intact. The troops would be dispatched AFTER the war was over and as in the Gulf War and Afghanistan, be stationed far away from harm's way. In those cases, the Korean participation was strictly symbolic -- as is this action.

On 3 April the protests continued in the press. Though the activists failed to block the resolution to send troops to Iraq, they are now threatening an organized attempt to thwart the re-election of lawmakers supporting the war aid plan. In their opposition to the U.S.-led war, leading civic groups and labor unions are threatening to campaign against those lawmakers when the next parliamentary elections come around in April next year. These activist groups are vowing to use National Assembly voting records in determining who will be targeted for their negative campaigns.

Advocates claim that such issue-based campaigns designed to frustrate re-election bids are a legitimate means of providing voters with information on candidates and thus helping them make the right decision at the polls. But critics argue such practices go against the principle of representative democracy, which they say should ensure lawmakers cast votes according to their own conscience and political judgment, not under outside pressure.

(NOTE: Though the U.S. has the freedom to do this, there are laws on the books in Korea that allow only labor unions the "right" to campaign "against" a candidate. These laws are leftovers of politicians making laws so they could remain in power. However, these laws have been challenged by activist groups in the courts. During the 2000 elections, an alliance of civic groups campaigned intensively against 22 incumbent lawmakers throughout the nation, whom they had targeted for their alleged corruption and incompetence. It succeeded in forcing as many as 15 of them out of the National Assembly. But the lower courts later fined some of the civic leaders for breach of the law on elections to public office. The Supreme Court dealt a further blow to the political activists when it upheld the lower court rulings. In addition, the Constitution Court ruled the ban on campaigning against certain candidates or political parties was constitutional. The activists have been lobbying for changes in these restrictive laws.)

Two Korean anti-war activists said they will abandon their citizenship if the Seoul government sends troops to assist the U.S.-led military campaign in Iraq. During a news conference held upon their arrival in Incheon International Airport from Jordan, Bae Sang-hyun, 28, and Maria Lim Young-shin, 34, lashed out at the government over its plan to send hundreds of military engineers and medics to Iraq. An OhMy News article showed Bae with an Arab scarf around his neck at the airport -- with video clips of the airport interview. Lim and her brother, Im Jong-jin (36) stayed in Amman, Jordan. Han Sang-jin, head of the peace team, is now staying in Amman after allegedly being "kicked out of Iraq" and Yu Eun-ha is still in Baghdad. Park Gi-bum (31, children`s book writer), Shin Sung-guk (43, priest) and Suh Ui-yun (24, college student) are reportedly heading to Baghdad from Amman. The border between Jordan and Iraq has not been closed. (NOTE: Bae and Lim were part of the "human shields" from the Korea Peace Team. However, Bae with two others was in Baghdad, but only he took up a role as a human shield. However, he left the power generation site in Baghdad BEFORE the bombing started to return to his hotel. The three in Baghdad acted as "human shields" from their basement hotel room. AFTER the bombing started, Bae decided to do "more meaningful" work as a volunteer in a local hospital instead of acting as a "human shield." Meanwhile ten others from the team (including Lim) acted as "human shields" in Amman, Jordan -- far from the bombings. For their heroism, they receive our Chicken Little Award of Valor. We also wonder that if they turn in their citizenship, where do they intend to take up citizenship? Probably the U.S.)

On 4 April Foreign Minister Yoon Young-kwan said that sending troops to Iraq would help strengthen Seoul's alliance with Washington, which will in turn contribute to finding a peaceful resolution to the North Korean nuclear issue as well as help clear investor anxieties over the possibility of conflict on the Korean Peninsula. In truth, the measure comes AFTER the Germans and Russians were already jumping on the bandwagon to "mend the fences" for a post-Iraq War rebuilding campaign. It's a little late...though better than nothing as the U.S. needs head counts for its "coalition."

However, civic and activist groups filed petitions with the courts to stop the government from sending troops to support U.S.-led military action against Iraq. The People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy and Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Minbyun) submitted a petition to the Constitutional Court seeking a ruling on whether the troop dispatch is constitutional and an annulment of the parliamentary decision to send the troops to Iraq. The Constitutional Court on 4 April dismissed an application filed by the Democratic Labor Party (DLP) for an injunction to suspend the law on dispatching troops to Iraq. Justice Kim Hyo-jong dismissed as "groundless" the application by the progressive DLP that insisted the law violated people's right to seek happiness guaranteed by the Constitution.

Protests continued in Seoul with marches by mainly college students. Fashion models joined in demonstration with gas masks in Myeong-dong, central Seoul, as some Korean designers voiced opposition to the Iraq war. There were some confrontations with riot police but generally the demonstrations were peaceful. (Go to Tongil News for photos.)

Anti-War demonstration in Seoul (04 Apr 03)

Anti-War displays in Seoul (07 Apr 03)
Left: Bush with nuclear missiles; Right: U.S. Army in Iraq killing civilians

Anti-War Demonstrations: Daytime flag burning: Seoul (11 Apr 03)
Flag burning at night with U.S./Britain/Australian flags (Source: Tongil News)

On 12 Apr a group of civic organizations staged a rally in Seoul City Plaza to mark the International Day Against War, a spokesman for "Stop the War" said Friday. Stop the War and several other civic organizations expected over 10,000 people to gather in Seoul, but the turnout appeared to be in the thousands. This smaller size reflects the protests worldwide where much smaller turnouts were reported. For example, only a few thousand turned out in Washington, DC. In London, the 20,000 turnout was much different from the previous million plus turnout. The same was true for anti-war protests in France with and Germany with 12,000 people. However, around 50,000 protesters marched in Rome and nearly 50,000 school children and other protesters marched in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Anti-War Demonstrations: Daytime protests (Source: Tongil News)

Rev Mun and his War Council during the demonstrations (12 Apr 03) (Source: Tongil News)

(See Anti-War Video (April 12) -- Street performances showing U.S. as splitting the Koreas; speeches.)
(See Anti-War Video (April 12) -- Street March; Demonstration confrontation with police -- beaten back with shields and pepper spray.)
(See Anti-War Video (April 12) -- Candlelight vigil in Seoul City Plaza with speeches and Protest Songs -- again "F _ _ KING U.S.A." a hit. (See Fucking U.S.A..) Cute performance of North Korean song.)

There were some clashes with riot police as some protestors tried to climb atop the police buses, but were beaten back with batons and pepper spray. The crowd turned ugly and a fire extinguisher (dry chemical) was shot amidst the crowd to disperse them. The photographic effect was that tear gas was used, but none of the riot police had gas masks. The crowd was fighting the police to climb over the buses so they could get at the US Embassy.

Anti-War Demonstrations: Police Confrontation (Source: Tongil News)

Tens of thousands were expected to join similar rallies in Busan, Incheon, Daegu, Gwangju and other major cities. Tongil News showed a small anti-war children's exhibit was set up in Seoul with art and projects for the young. In Kunsan, there was nothing -- but then it never had anything in the first place except for the one brave young man who braved the elements alone at the corner in front of the base.

A South Korean activist group said it will send two physicians to the Middle East to provide medical care to Iraqi children wounded during the war. The group calling itself the Korean Federation of Activists Fighting for Health Rights (KFHR) said the physicians will leave Saturday evening for Amman, Jordan, carrying anesthetics and other emergency medicines.

An item appeared in the Yonhap News on 12 Apr that reiterates what we said in the first days of the war. The North Korea for all its bravado -- and more importantly, the South Koreans -- must face up to the new reality of how America will deal with menacing regimes -- unilaterally and with preemptive strikes if necessary. The news item stated: "The method and speed of the U.S. war against Iraq will apparently leave a deep imprint on and around the Korean Peninsula, which is in the middle of a drawn-out nuclear dispute. The biggest lesson is how the international community, and specifically the United States, has changed the way it deals with terrorist suspects and menacing regimes since the Sept. 11 attacks." On 13 Apr there were only small turnouts for nationwide protests. Mainly college students, the protests are notably anti-American -- with some contempt heaped on Britain, Australia and Korea just to be fair. The military victory in Iraq and the sights of people welcoming the "invaders" has deflated the popular support for the moment. Instead of protesting, most people took advantage of the cool spring weather to be outdoors with friends to look at the cherry blossoms or spring flowers.

On 14 April President Roh Moo-hyun said that the dispatch of noncombat troops to Iraq should be expedited now that the war is ending and troops there will be mostly engaged in humanitarian and rebuilding projects. The first set of troops will leave on 17 Apr, and the rest of the 673 chosen to go are scheduled to be Iraq-bound by 14 May. In a state meeting with ministers related to foreign affairs, Roh acknowledged the numerous demonstrations against the dispatch plan, but said there would now be no objections to the provision of reconstruction and humanitarian support. He also asked the relevant agencies to exert their utmost efforts in supporting the Iraqi people.

Seohui Battalion formed in South Cholla for Iraq Deployment (15 Apr 03)

On 14 Apr Former President George Bush Sr met with business leaders in Seoul. Only a few protestors along the streets with signs of "father of all bombs" saying he was not welcome greeted him. In the meeting he thanked the Korean government for its decision to send troops to Iraq and emphasized that the North's nuclear problems should be resolved within a multilateral framework. He expressed regret about the incident last June in which two Korean middle-school girls were killed and expressed concern about whether the incident had aggravated South-U.S. relations. Bush met for lunch and a closed conference with leaders from the five leading economic associations: the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Federation of Korean Industries, the Korea International Trade Association, the Korea Federation of Small Business and the Korea Employers Federation along with Embassy personnel. Bush said the nuclear crisis should be resolved within a multilateral framework and that the U.S. would solve the problem in cooperation with the South Korean government.

With the end of the military phase of the War in Iraq, the NGO groups are meeting to decide on the new direction to proceed with in their unified anti-American stance. Small group of NGO group leaders -- including the Rev. Mun Choi-hyun -- staged a small peaceful demonstration to "Stop the War" in Seoul. (See Tongil News for photos.)

In Jan 2003, the NGO groups under the Pan National committee brought Rev Mun's anti-War group to the forefront as the anti-American campaign dealing with the accidental death of two girls became a political hot potato. The signs that an economic backlash from the anti-Americanism was growing. President-elect Roh put a "gag order" on their anti-American actions. From "Yankee Go Home" chants on 31 Dec to virtual silence on 1 Jan showed its effectiveness.

However, all the NGO groups did was hide their anti-Americanism from the foreign press. The anti-Americanism was NOT expressed in English -- but written in Hangul. The Korean media also sensitive about the anti-American issue were selective in the images of the protests they published abroad. It worked very effectively except that many expats could read Korean and reported this action in newsgroups. First the burnings started as signs with the painted U.S. flag but later progressed to the actual flags. As the war on Iraq heated up, the anti-Americanism boiled to the top. Anti-Americanism became more pronounced and again the U.S. flag burnings increased along with attacks on the U.S. Embassy. American business symbols such as McDonald's Hamburger were attacked. However, the swift victory in Iraq and the end of the military phase -- along with the crowds greeting the coalition forces -- took the wind out of the movement. The last big anti-War demonstration was on 12 April.

With the end of the military phase, there wasn't much to protest from the Korean anti-War side except to protest the war atrocities or human havoc. The swift end of the war seems to have caught the NGO groups by surprise. They were planning a anti-War demonstration on 19 April, but the war ended.

The initial advon of the non-combatant group was sent to CENTCOM to setup the area for follow-on non-combatant troops. At Inchon IAP, the group encountered a group of anti-War demonstrators with signs stating "No war." The remainder of the group will depart in May. The eyes of Korea shifted to the upcoming talks with North Korea over the nuclear issue.

On 19 April the National Police Agency (NPA) returned to a less heightened state of alert with the end of the military conflict in Iraq. Reverting its "anti-terror situation rooms" back to use for domestic security issues, the agency also lowered security around American facilities, including the U.S. Embassy, and other coalition nations' missions and residences.

Citizens groups from the conservative and progressive camps held separate rallies in Seoul to mark the 43rd anniversary of the April 19 revolution. April 19th marks the 43rd anniversary of the Student Revolt that toppled the First Republic of Lee Syng-man (Syngman Rhee) in 1960. President Roh visited Suyuri National Cemetery in northeastern Seoul, dedicated to students killed in a 1960 uprising.

The dilemma for the Pan National committee NGO groups is to find an appropriate anti-American protest that does not play directly into the hands of the American negotiators for a reduced USFK presence. There is also the growing awareness in the public that the anti-American protests are starting to impact their economy because there is a growing grassroots backlash from America. The continued protests in other areas are covered under Protests (2003).

For the NGO groups, the 19 April demonstrations mark the shift from anti-War to Unification. Instead of Rev Mun's anti-War group at the forefront, the Maehyang Unification group will take the lead in future demonstrations. Most likely the common thread will resurface the theme will be that America planned the division of the two Koreas; orchestrated the Korean War; and kept the two Koreas separated for its own selfish aims ever since. The underlying anti-American theme will be easily seen. Expect increased radical college student involvement in this movement. (See Reunification-Peace Movement site in Hangul.) However, the problem is that their actions may upset the applecart in negotiations to keep the USFK on the DMZ. Any of their past radical routines will be ammunition for the U.S. negotiators.

There were other demonstrations such as the YMCA march that included children carrying signs of "no war." There were also street performances of the die-hard anti-War/anti-American groups even though the military phase of the war is over. The Marines in Iraq are shooting looters and robbers now -- not Iraqi soldiers.

Unification Rally in Seoul (19 Apr 03) (Source: Tongil News)

Unification Rally at Kodong near DMZ
Offering Prayers for Unification (19 Apr 03) (Source: Tongil News)

Members of the anti-nuclear, anti-Kim Jong-il coalition, and April 19 youth groups convened a gathering in front of city hall to call for human rights improvements in North Korea. The protests were staged by the same groups in previous pro-USFK rallies. (See Pro-American Demonstrations or really Anti-Sunshine Policy Demonstration? for previous pro-USFK/Anti-North Korea rallies.)

Anti-North Korea Rally at National Assembly (19 Apr 03) (Source: Tongil News)

Anti-North Korea Rally at National Assembly (19 Apr 03) (Source: Tongil News)

Anti-North Korea Rally at National Assembly (19 Apr 03)
Left: College Students that don't want to be seen at anti-North Korea Rally;
Right: Veterans proud to be seen at the anti-North Korea Rally (Source: Tongil News)

Anti-North Korea Rally at National Assembly (19 Apr 03) (Source: OhMy News)

Please go to the following link at OhMy News for an article with photos of the demonstration. Click on the video link with the "OhMy TV" Icon. Click on VIDEO to go to the OhMy News article. I recommend everyone view this video clip.

It is not spectacular for its violence or the scenes in the demonstrations but some short portions at the end of the video when the anti-North Korean protestors met up with some anti-War/anti-American protestors on the street. It is almost comical in watching them topple, stomp and burn the Kim Il-sung figure in effigy -- with the police rushing in to shoot their fire extinguishers on the flames. These incidents are not important.

Near the end there is a face-off between the pro-USFK/anti-North demonstrators and anti-War/anti-American protestors. The anti-American side sat on the sidewalk and sang the traditional protest song heard since 2002 -- "F_ _ KING U.S.A" -- and the anti-North Korea side started chanting, "U-S-A, U-S-A." Yes...you heard me right...the Koreans were chanting "U.S.A" in the face of the anti-American groups. Good feeling. It wasn't the image of old religious fanatics that the liberal newspapers have tried to portray, but a mix of both young college students and older conservatives.

There is hope for Korea yet.

Die Hard anti-War/anti-American Skit in Seoul (19 Apr 03) (Source: Tongil News)

Anti-North Korea demonstrator face-off with anti-War faction (19 Apr 03) (Source: OhMy News)

Future of the ROK-U.S. Alliance Policy Initiative Discussions (8-9 April): The first session of "Future of the ROK-U.S. Alliance Policy Initiative" was held at the Defense Ministry from 8-9 April. South Korea was led by assistant minister for policy Cha Young-koo while the United States was headed by Richard Lawless, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia and the Pacific. The Korean team included Kim Sung-man, the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff's strategic planning division, Sim Yun-jo, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade's North American affairs department and eight others. Washington sent eight senior officials, including the Department of State's special envoy Christopher LaFleur. Lawless and officials arrived on April 8 in Seoul.

Trying to piece together what was discussed is very difficult from the conflicting news stories. On the first day of the meeting at the Ministry of National Defense, the Chosun Ilbo on 8 April reported that the U.S. insisted on moving its troops south. It was evident that there were some very contentious points as the meeting lasted far longer than scheduled.

Headed by the ministry's policy planning chief, Cha Young-koo, and the U.S.'s Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Affairs, Richard Lawless, the two sides agreed on the principle of moving U.S. troops off the central Seoul Yongsan base as soon as possible. The U.S. delegation suggested an immediate redeployment of the 2nd Infantry Division to south of the Han River, while the Koreans insisted that the issue be shelved until the North Korean nuclear issue is solved.

Washington's defense officials argued that the 2nd Division's camps in northern Gyeonggi province are in urban areas and vulnerable to accidents, and should be moved south.

While the meeting was scheduled to end by 3:30 p.m., it continued through the evening due to difficulties in reaching agreements.

The Joongang Ilbo added more information of the discussions.

"Mid-level defense officials from Seoul and Washington have reportedly agreed again in principle to move the Yongsan Garrison, the headquarters for U.S. troops here, out of the Seoul area. The two sides differed, however, on a U.S. proposal to pull back its combat infantry division from front-line positions north of Seoul. ... Korean government sources said the United States wants to move the 2d Infantry Division south of the Han River; the Korean side asked that such a move be postponed until after the resolution of the North Korean nuclear arms issues. ... Another agenda item was a proposal to end the current agreement that U.S. military leaders will assume operational command of Korean forces in wartime, but the discussion stayed, sources said, on a theoretical plane. A U.S. official at the talks said the Americans want to reconfigure their forces here, noting that the United States had sent 27 divisions to the first Gulf War, but had mobilized a much smaller force for the war now under way in Iraq."

The interpretations of what was was discussed is very clouded based upon the choice of words reported in the various articles. For example, an official with the Ministry of Defense said, "The two teams did not make remarks about the REDUCTION in U.S. Forces in Korea and even on a TV conference ahead of the session, the U.S. side did not mention the need of reductions." However, a U.S. official said that the Americans want to RECONFIGURE their forces here. This is the same thing as the U.S. wanted a smaller stationary force in Korea in the future based on the U.S. vision for the mobile forces of the 21st Century. It is apparent that the U.S. pressed this point. However, it appears that they never got past the relocation issue because of South Korea's position.

The Donga Ilbo article on 9 April stated that the two sides failed to "narrow their differences in possible reshuffling of U.S. forces in Korea."

It is reported that at yesterday's session, the two teams confirmed relocation of the Yongsan Garrison at the earliest possible date, but failed to narrow their differences in possible reshuffling of U.S. forces in Korea, such as repositioning the entire 16,000 strong Second Infantry Division.

"We accepted the U.S. proposal of advancing the date for relocating the Yongsan Garrison. Regarding the repositioning of the Second Infantry Division, we delivered our position that it is difficult to accept still considering its presence a deterrent against North Korea as well as massive relocation costs," an official with the Ministry of Defense said.

"The two teams did not make remarks about the reduction in U.S. Forces in Korea and even on a TV conference ahead of the session, the U.S. side did not mention the need of reductions," he added.

The U.S. side was reported to have suggested debate on relocation of U.S. forces in Korea, stressing that it is part of the U.S.' world military strategy.

Yesterday's session was said to have focused on ways to improve military capacity by introducing the newest information gathering and combat methods according to changes in battlefield environments.

"The U.S. sent smaller military forces to the current war with Iraq than it did to the 1991 Gulf War. As battlefield environments are changing, the focus was on the reshuffling of U.S. forces in Korea at the session," an American participant said.

On 9 Apr at a joint press conference at the conclusion of the discussions, it was reported that military officials from the U.S. and Korea agreed that the transfer of the Yongsan Garrison and relocation of troops north of Seoul would be done in a way that would not weaken Korea's security. The Defense Ministry's policy planning chief, Cha Yeong-gu, and the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Richard Lawless, both said that a research body would be set up to keep the relationship up-to-date with the changing security situations on the peninsula.

Richard Lawless, Christopher LaFleur, and Cha Yeong-gu (8 Apr 03)

US Wants to Move Its 2nd Infantry Division Out Of Seoul

APRIL 09, 2003 21:52 by Sang-Ho Yun (ysh1005@donga.com)

South Korean and U.S. representatives at a meeting to discuss the bilateral military alliance have agreed to push for the relocation of the Yongsan garrison in central Seoul as soon as possible, officials said Wednesday.

Lt. Gen. Cha Young-koo, assistant defense minister for policy, and Richard Lawless, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia and the Pacific, announced after the first meeting of the "Future of the ROK-U.S. Alliance Policy Initiative" at a press conference that both sides have also agreed to continue discussions on the timing of the overall realignment process in a way that does not weaken their ability to deter North Korea`s military.

Assistance defense minister Cha and U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense Lawless said, "At this meeting, issues regarding the reduction of U.S. forces stationed in Korea and relocation of the U.S. second division to the south of Seoul were not discussed."

However, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense Lawless` remark can be interpreted that although the two sides have agreed to relocate US 2nd division to an alternative site, they didn`t discuss whether they relocate it to the south of Seoul. It has been known that the U.S. side clearly expressed its intention of moving its infantry division to the south of Seoul at the meeting.

With regard to this issue, the Korean representatives delivered their government`s position that it is difficult to relocate the US 2nd division to the south of Seoul for the time being, considering enormous expenses for the relocation and difficulties in finding an alternative site. In addition, they said to the U.S. side that there are rising security concerns among Korean public worrying a possible withdrawal of U.S. infantry division from Seoul.

The South Korea and U.S. representatives clearly said that according to the development of military capacity, South Korean army would enhance its role of maintaining security on the Korean Peninsular, while U.S. forces would focus on securing stability in the Asian region.

At the press conference, although which role the Korean army would play in maintaining security on the Korean Peninsular down the road, it is clear that South Korea would have to increase defense expenses to strengthen military deterrence to North Korea`s attack if the U.S. reduces its role in defending the heavily fortified border line areas between the South and the North.

Furthermore, both sides have also agreed to continue discussions on the timing of the overall realignment process in a way that does not weaken their ability to deter North Korea`s military. They agreed to form a separate bilateral consultation body to discuss issue of handing over wartime military command to South Korea in the long-term perspective. Both sides will hold their second meeting in the U.S. next month.

While the conservative newspapers talked of the U.S. desire to relocate its USFK forces, the liberal newspapers stressed how the force structure would be "realigned" and downplayed -- or denied -- references to relocation. This reflects the views of President Roh. The liberal Pro-Roh administration newspaper Korea Herald reported on 10 April:

GIs to be realigned, not weakened

Wrapping up a two-day consultation, South Korean and U.S. top defense officials yesterday agreed to redeploy American forces stationing here in a way that will not weaken the combined deterrent effect against North Korea.

The U.S. side empathized with the concerns of the Korean people regarding talk of relocating the 2nd U.S. Infantry Division away from the inter-Korean border.

In a joint press conference at Seoul's Defense Ministry, the two sides said they will establish a joint consultative body to discuss transferring to South Korea the wartime command of its armed forces, which is currently under the control of the U.S.-led U.N. Command (UNC).

"There is going to be a realignment. And this will be something that both parties should agree on," Richard Lawless, the chief U.S. delegate, told reporters. "As far as the (U.S. troop) reduction (is concerned), it has not been discussed."

Lawless, the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for Asia-Pacific affairs, also said the first meeting on the "Future of the Alliance's Policy Initiative" did not deal with the redeployment of the 2nd U.S. Infantry Division, a major U.S. combat force.

"We didn't advance our discussion to the relocation of the 2nd division," he said.

On the question of the change in the wartime command for Korean forces, Lt. Gen. Cha Young-koo, Seoul's chief negotiator, said, "We have to approach the matter very prudently. We will set up a joint consultative body on a long-term basis."

In their 10-point agreement, the two sides agreed on the need to adapt the alliance to the new global security environment, which takes into account Korea's status as a prosperous democracy.

They also said they will expand the Korean forces' role in defense of the peninsula and beyond, and to enhance U.S. forces' contribution to regional stability.

The two countries will consult on the modernization of the U.S. and Korean military capabilities in an effort to further enhance their combined defense posture and deterrent capabilities, the statement said.

The two sides reaffirmed their previous agreement to relocate the U.S. military base in Yongsan in central Seoul "as soon as possible."

"We don't have any fixed time on the relocation, but we will get it done very fast," Lawless said.

A second-round of the consultations in the United States has been penciled in for May, they said, adding they will hold similar meetings before the annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) in Seoul in October.

(khj@koreaherald.co.kr) By Kim Hyung-jin Staff reporter

The bottomline is that the U.S. is hell bent on relocating their forces south of the Han -- without reducing the numbers at this time. According to Naps Net: "According to several sources, the Pentagon would now like to see the realignment started in the 2004 fiscal year, which begins in October, with a move out of the Yongsan headquarters in Seoul to be followed by a redeployment of troops near the DMZ. "We would like to execute this as quickly as possible," said one diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity. New ROK President Roh Moo Hyun does not want to see any changes until the DPRK nuclear crisis is resolved. But, said the diplomat, "that timetable is probably too slow for us."

Although Rumsfeld has publicly ruminated about moving some of the troops out of South Korea entirely, a more likely scenario is that they would move farther to the south of the peninsula, trying to get as far as possible from Seoul into less congested areas. There is no sense of a wholesale movement out of Korea, but the U.S. military want a less intrusive and more sustainable presence. For the Koreans, this is like the old saying that you should be careful what you wish for or you'll get it. They will end up having more responsibility for their own defense.

On 10 April, President Roh acknowledged that the time has come to discuss relocating U.S. forces stationed in Korea, but that a troop reduction should be an issue pondered over the long term. Roh said that the public wants the U.S. Forces Korea's (USFK) main garrison moved out of Yongsan as soon as possible but the issue of a forces reduction should be discussed after the North Korean nuclear situation is fully settled. The U.S. position is that it should be discussed NOW. The U.S. strategy is now becoming clear that they are going to remove U.S. forces from the DMZ and let the North sit and stew. If the North does not remove an equal number of forces from the DMZ, it will be viewed internationally as an aggressor and the U.S. can justify a preemptive strike if so desired.

It also appears that the ROK started on its "poor mouth" campaign of not enough funds and trying to shift the financial burden to the U.S. The U.S. was in no mood to banter over this point with a G-12 nation -- or in the U.S. words, "a prosperous democracy."

It is now apparent that the U.S. strategy is to first relocate the forces according to the Land Partnership Plan south of the Han and then seek a reduction of stationary forces. There will be no discussions on troop reductions until the relocation issue is settled. The changes are part of a worldwide restructuring designed to make US forces more flexible and more mobile -- as shown in Iraq. The idea that the U.S. will relinquish the control of a coalition (U.S.-ROK) to the minor player (ROK) is NOT in the cards. If the ROK wishes to demand control of forces in time of war, there is no need for a coalition -- and no need for the U.S. presence in Korea.

There were indications in some articles that Roh stated that Korea would "regain the rhetorical offensive" on the issue of relocating U.S. troops here. He said South Korea would not shy away from leading the discussions on repositioning the U.S. forces in Korea. Roh said during his daily meeting on 10 April with senior secretaries and other aides, "Until now, we have avoided even the mere discussion of the repositioning of U.S. troops. But it is time for us to make it known that we will play a major role in the matter after the North Korea nuclear issue is resolved." What this implies is that the latest discussions had Korea at a severe disadvantage as the U.S. negotiators were armed with verified anti-Americanism; changes in U.S. military strategy (that has been validated by the Iraq War successes); agreed upon Land Partnership Plan initiatives; and previous agreements that have not been kept by South Korea -- such as the 1990 MOU for the relocation of Yongsan. What Korea wants, may not be what the U.S. wants -- and the U.S. has all the cards in its favor with the growing sense of isolationism in America following the 9/11 incident.

South Korean National Assembly Speaker Park Kwan-yong said on 11 April that the ongoing talks concerning relocation of U.S. forces in Korea should be connected to North Korea's reduction of its conventional weapons. Park met with Vice President Cheney in Washington who applauded the National Assemblies proposal that economic sanctions should be imposed as a carrot-stick approach to leading the North to giving up its nuclear program. Meeting U.S. congressional leaders during his Washington visit, Park emphasized that South Korean people do not question the alliance with the United States. Unfortunately, the latest U.S. flag burnings as part of the anti-war protests in April was sending some strong anti-American messages to the U.S. Congressmen as he spoke.

Alliance Talks May 6-7 in Honolulu Postponed -- then Cancelled South Korea and the United States was to convene the second meeting of the Future of the Alliance Policy Initiative May 6-7 in Honolulu, Hawaii. During the first meeting, the two sides reaffirmed plans to relocate the main Yongsan Garrison out of Seoul as soon as possible, and agreed to increase Seoul's role in defending the peninsula. Accordingly, South Korea agreed to take on ``selected missions'' from the USFK, which experts say could mean taking some of the 2nd U.S. Infantry Division's work in the border area. However, they reportedly failed to bridge differences on relocating the 2nd Infantry Division southwards, with Seoul asking for a delay, despite Washington's position, until the North Korean nuclear crisis is over. However, the Korean side refused to discuss a time table.

In our opinion, President Roh needs a wake-up call that his game of "I'm your friend but..." is getting a little tiresome. On April 19, President Roh said that the purpose of the U.S. Forces in Korea (USFK) is to augment South Korea's military capabilities and should not be seen as the core element of national defense. Speaking to newly promoted generals and other ranking officers at Cheong Wa Dae, Roh stressed that he supports the stationing of U.S. troops here because Korea reaps many benefits from the deployment.

In effect, he has stated that the ROK military will bear the brunt of the nation's defense with a little help from the Americans. He has just slapped the Americans in the face again. The role of the ROK Army on the DMZ is to delay the North's blitzkrieg advance until the 640,000 American troops arrive. In the meantime, the "augmentee force" from Misawa's 35th FW and Kadena's 18th FW, along with the Yokosuka's USS Kitty Hawk carrier group will assist the ROK. Roh really needs to put a sock in his mouth -- or fire his speech writer.

Then the meeting was postponed till after the May 15 summit meeting between Roh and Bush. After the summit, there was a definitely different tone. The ROK side seemed to be preparing the Koreans for the movement stating that the 2d ID was going to relocate. However, the Koreans stated that it would be discussed before there was a movement. Unfortunately, Secretary of Defense Rumsfield left the movement open.

The Koreans then launched into denial phase and dragging their feet hoping to return to the status quo. It will be interesting to note how this plays out in the future. The alliance meeting at the end of May was rescheduled for June 4-5.

MAY 2003:

Korean Federation of Trade Unions Demonstration (KFTU) (1 May 03)

(See Voice of the People for Video of Roh's Summit talks; Kwangju protests on 18 May; Trucker strikes in the nation.)

Saemangeum Protests: Then the environmentalists protested the Saemangum Project making a march from Cholla to Seoul by taking three steps then prostrating themselves. The protestors reached Seoul on 25 May. This protest has been going on for years. At first, the project was shut down for two years, but then Kim Dae-jung ordered it to proceed at the end of his Presidency. When Roh took office, he stated that he would continue Kim Dae-jung's environmental policy.

The protest against the Saemangeum tideland reclamation project in Chollabukdo reached its climax as the sensational "three steps, one bow" procession led by a group of clergymen reached Seoul 57 days after they departed Buan 310 kilometers to the south. While the march was inching toward its destination, the National Assembly in Yeoido, the procession grew in length with the participation of conservationist citizens. However, the residents at the project site were holding equally agitated rallies calling for an early completion of the project. They asserted the Saemangeum was the only opportunity for the underdeveloped Cholla region to build its economy to the level found in other parts of the nation. (See REAL AUDIO VIDEO for video of the march.)

After a long delay, and under pressure from opposition parties, President Roh Tae-woo ordered the launching of the dike construction in November 1991, to fulfill a campaign pledge to garner votes in the region. Work was suspended in 1999 by the courts, but resumed two years later when the government of Kim Dae-jung arbitrarily restarted the Saemangeum Project last year. Upon his election, President Roh opted to continue with Kim Dae-jung's environmental policy. (NOTE: Kunsan AB's perimeter is directly affected by the Saemangeum Project and was signed off on over three years ago by the base.)

Opponents claim that the 33-kilometer dike, supposedly the longest in the world, will remove an ecological treasure house from the face of the earth. Claims are that the migratory bird habitats surrounding Kunsan will be destroyed. Aside from its environmental value, the purely economic contributions of the wetland, with its natural shellfish and sea laver and the products of many marine farms, will be double what project administers promise for the future, they argue. The devastating failure of the Sihwa area in Gyeonggi Province gave environmentalists firm ground for their case.

Researchers at the Agricultural and Rural Infrastructure Corporation deny this claim, quoting different figures, and the controversy is endless. The economic fruits to be gleaned from the reclamation project, according to the corporation now conducting the work, include 180,000 tons of rice a year from 70,000 acres of new farmland, a large industrial estate, artificial lakes containing over 500 million tons of fresh water and port facilities that will handle huge volumes of cargo to and from China

Major construction firms have continued work to build floodgates and parts of dikes spending over one trillion won so far. The project's justification is dwindling, considering that the government has decided to idle farmland four times as large as the projected Saemangeum field. Anti-Saemangeum activists are demanding a decision by President Roh Moo-hyun to halt the project, at least until after a special panel of experts, proposed by the Environment Ministry, has completed its review of all environmental and economic aspects.

For Roh this is another difficult choice that is destined to have immense repercussions, whichever side he may lean toward.

Environmentalist March from Pusan to Seoul -- take three steps and prostrate self on an arduous trip

Saemangum Dispute Pitches Up

by Kim Chang-gon (cgkim@chosun.com)

The fight over the Saemangeum Project, a land reclamation project in North Jeolla province, is heating up, with environmentalists on one side and local residents on the other.

A group of protesters just completed a march from the province to the capital. They left on March 28 and arrived at Yeouido Park on Sunday, after walking 310 kilometers by taking three steps and then prostrating themselves, then repeating the process, the entire way. At the park they held a rally to stop the Saemangeum project. The group of more than 300 people, including religious leaders, released a declaration, urging a resolution to the issue. They will conduct a march next Friday in front of Seoul City Hall and another one the following day at Gwanghwamun.

Down in Jeolla province, meanwhile, ralliers are demanding that the project continue. A group of 140 backers of the project were demonstrating in front of the North Jeolla Provincial Office last Thursday and at Gunsan Station Plaza on Friday. "The government must clearly state its will to pursue the project and put an end to these harmful disputes," a leader of the rally said. Another rally will take place on Monday in Jeonju, led by the union of civic groups for Jeonju's development. They are also preparing events that stand against the "Three steps, one bow" march.

An environmental activist spoke out against the projedct. "We see decreases of 20,000 hectares of rice fields every year," he said. "If the government is paying people to not plant rice, why is it making more farmland?

The opposition is also worried that if an embankment is built to close off the freshwater lake, the pollutants entering the lake will make it into another Sihwa Lake (a representative example of polluted lakes). Moreover, the financial value of the estuary silt is $23,000 dollars per hectare, so the value of the Saemangeum silt is over $500 million dollars, and thus should be preserved, they say.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry says that due to the spread of roads and housing complexes, there is still a need for more farmland. They say that water problems will be controlled through construction of a W130 billion sewage disposal plant.

Unification Movement Protests: The Unification rallies started up again in May, but with a new twist in blaming the U.S. for keeping the Korea's divided. The protests have a definite anti-American ring to them. Part of these rallies were the blaming of the U.S. for mass killings during the Korean war. Old people marched demanding answers to the supposed massacres committed by the U.S.. Part of this hysteria was stirred up by President Roh who apologized for the Cheju Island massacres that occurred before the Korean War. Hoping to resurrect the inquiries of Nogori -- old people marched to demand explanations of the supposed murders during the war. Interestingly, the Koreans are not marching over the massacre of 3,000 prisoners in Chonju by South Korean constabulary as they were retreating from the North Koreans. This was on TV in May.

Unification Rally Blaming U.S. for Division of Korea and Mass Murders (25 May 03)

Student Protests: Finally there were the 1,000 students who blocked President Roh as he tried to enter a national cemetary in Kwangju on 18 May. The students were primarily of the outlawed Hangchonyeon and were protesting his "humiliation diplomacy" in that he changed his position and agreed with the U.S. policy towards North Korea after his May 15 summit with President Bush. Though he explained it as his being a "pragmatist," his former student supporters turned against him. In retaliation, he stated that the Hanchonyeon students would be prosecuted -- causing more dissention. The organizers of the rally met with Roh and "demanded" that he drop the charges against the students. This angered Roh even more. Then on 24 May students demonstrated in Seoul outside a police station "demanding" the charges be dropped and after a scuffle the students were led away.

Hanchongnyeon Students Protest Roh's Pro-US stance in Kwangju (18 May 03)

The students protested in Seoul and marched in the streets of Seoul, though at this time, the protests were rather small. These protests were a mish-mash of various causes and at this point didn't seem to have any focus. The students viewed Roh as Bush's "wife" who obediently followed his commands -- or more vulgarly was his "whore." There were candlelight vigils for the two girls killed last year in an accident near the DMZ.

Anti-Roh Students: Seoul (25 May 03)

Anti-American Protest: Seoul (25 May 03) Right: Roh as Bush's obedient wife; Right: Candlelight vigil for two girls killed in June 2002 accident

Resurgence of Anti-Americanism: However, there are issues remaining dealing with the anti-Americanism that is still present within Korea. Though Roh has done an about-face on his stance towards the U.S., there are many expats who are waiting to see some actions to back up his words. There has been little in the way of concrete actions to combat anti-Americanism in Korea as the government has yet to condemn outright any violence perpetrated against Americans. The current trend is to give offenders a mere slap on the wrist.

The latest incident according to Yonhap News was on 24 May when an Army Lieutenant was attacked by a Korean in a game room in Uijeongbu. "A U.S. first lieutenant was handed over to the American military police after getting into a scuffle with a Korean man, according to Korean police Saturday. A 31-year-old lieutenant identified as only "V" argued with a Korean man known as Lee at an Internet game room before another Korean man nearby whose family name is Kim started punching him."

The following commentary is from American Daily.com:

Roh Must Rock the Boat on Anti-Americanism

By Owen Rathbone on 05/17/03

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun's major task on his current visit to the U.S. is to dispel the notion that he is an untrustworthy or unreliable ally. Roh has a serious image problem in Washington in that he is perceived as an anti-American politician. For that reason, he has taken it upon himself to refashion himself into a leader who if not appearing as pro-American at least displays an awareness of the negative consequences of strains in the U.S.-ROK (Republic of Korea) alliance.

Prior to Roh's summit with President George Bush on Wednesday, the Korean press attempted to assist Roh in his quest to repair his public image. The Korea Times lauded Roh's new "pragmatic stance" with the U.S. and "his recognition of the stark reality that the U.S. is the world's indisputable super power and will play the most important role in the future of the divided Korean peninsula." The Chosun Ilbo, in discussing Roh's sudden appreciation of the U.S. military presence in Korea, spoke of a "sober Roh" who had a "change of heart." The newspaper stated: "We applaud the president for deciding to square his stance on national security and Korean-American relations in the right way, once and for all."

Roh's actual meeting with Bush could be judged as a moderate success. The joint statement the two leaders issued after their tęte-ŕ-tęte affirmed that South Korea and the United States will cooperate to deal with North Korea and that Roh will not adopt a foreign policy that runs counter to U.S. interests. Roh's concession to not rule out military force or sanctions against North Korea, by suggesting "further steps" could be taken if deemed necessary, was noteworthy. Roh also seemed to personally get along well with Bush, a development that can only smooth U.S.-ROK relations.

Yet in other ways Roh has still not shown he can be trusted. Although he made many encouraging statements and complimented his American hosts, mere words alone will not be enough to assure the White House that South Korea is a loyal ally. Although Roh has dropped much of his earlier anti-American rhetoric, he has still not confronted the roots of anti-Americanism in Korea head-on or made any promises to do so. Simply by saying kind words about America or President Bush, the South Korean President appears to expect Americans to forgive and forget. "Don't worry, be happy," he seems to be saying.

In this respect, Roh has a very short memory. American expatriates have had to deal with all kinds of misplaced anger from Koreans over the past few months after two schoolgirls were killed in a U.S. armored vehicle accident last year. Restaurants and tourist sites throughout Korea posted signs that read: "No Americans." A U.S. serviceman was attacked and stabbed in an underpass by a group of young thugs. An American servicewoman was manhandled by a gang on a jogging path. A group of American soldiers at a train station were spat on by a middle aged Korean man as a cameraman filmed the entire episode and a large crowd looked on. One U.S. soldier, when he refused a political leaflet on a Seoul subway, was attacked by a mob, abducted and forced to "confess" before a crowd of protesters about American soldiers' "crimes." Protesters stormed U.S. military installations, tossing concrete blocks at soldiers, injuring many Americans in the process. The American Chamber of Commerce was also ransacked by a crazed mob on another occasion. Protesters have tried to smash their way into the U.S. Embassy many times, but have fortunately been prevented from doing so by riot police.

The Korean government's response to this uncontrolled rage has been to do almost nothing. No charges have been laid against any of the individuals who participated in attacks or who trespassed on and vandalized American property. In one case, a Korean anchorwoman who had criticized protesters for storming a military base was summarily dismissed from her job.

It is not just Americans who have suffered in this environment. The foreign community is rife with stories of Canadians and other foreigners being denied service at restaurants, cursed at, and even attacked for looking "American." Such incidents are not taking place as frequently now and fortunately did not result in any loss of life, but the fact that no government representative has publicly acknowledged the problem speaks volumes about South Korean attitudes toward Americans and foreign residents.

On one occasion it appeared that Roh was serious about confronting Korean teachers who were teaching anti-American classes. During the Iraq War, the Korea Teachers' and Educational Workers' Union (KTEWU), or Jeongyojo, provided downloadable lesson plans that criticized the United States for starting a war that would supposedly kill up to 500,000 Iraqi citizens. Jeongyojo also provided photographs for class use of the mangled bodies of the schoolgirls killed in the armored vehicle accident. One union member showed students a photo of a dead prostitute who had allegedly been killed and mutilated by an American soldier. A union branch in South Jeolla province printed supplementary materials that claimed the United States intentionally was keeping the Korean peninsula divided. Roh promised to look into the matter, but then backed down, claiming that the lessons were not as bad as had been portrayed. In fact, Roh appeared to be worried about angering the union, since its members represent a strong base of political support.

Another area where Roh has been particularly weak has been on anti-American Internet sites. The most well known sites are antimigun.org, cyber.antimigun.org, and voiceofpeople.org, all of which were key supporters of Roh during the presidential election. Roh has declared war on the print media for publishing unflattering views of him, yet he has praised such Internet news portals for their continued support. The sites carry pictures and videos of anti-American protests, articles and stories portraying the U.S. as an occupying power in the ROK, and message boards filled with hundreds of hate messages condemning America and its alleged atrocities in Korea and around the world.

In an open letter to George Bush, Voice of People (VOP) recently criticized the U.S. for posing "a grave threat to peace on the Korean peninsula." Among a list of demands, VOP asked for a public apology from Bush over the deaths of the schoolgirls and the signing of a non-aggression pact with North Korea. The letter ends: "If you foolhardily continue to brush aside our demands, anti-Americanism will surely sweep over the whole Korean peninsula, which eventually will result in the dishonorable expulsion of the American soldiers."

If Roh is truly serious about repairing the U.S.-ROK alliance he must take some concrete actions to combat anti-Americanism in his country. To begin, the South Korean government must condemn outright any violence perpetrated against Americans (or any foreigners for that matter). If such acts occur, the perpetrators must be punished. The current trend to give offenders a mere slap on the wrist must end. Americans in Korea should expect the same rights as a Korean national in a similar situation in the U.S.

Second, the Korean government must take an open and firm stand against anti-American web sites. That does not mean the sites should be shut down. That would be undemocratic. However, Roh must state clearly that he does not endorse the web sites' anti-American contents. The South Korean government should also provide alternative sources of information to provide balance to the fabrications and hate of these and similar sites.

Third, the Roh administration should confront the KTEWU once again for promoting anti-American lessons. If the union is really interested in teaching about "peace" and "anti-war issues" it must use other examples than just those concerning the United States. What about massacres in the Congo, for example? What about Hitler and the Holocaust? What about Apartheid? What about atrocities under Kim Jong-il or Saddam Hussein? The focus should not just be on the U.S. This is not well-rounded or unbiased education. A generation of American haters is being bred and Roh Moo-hyun's government is doing nothing about it.

Korean officials are now saying that most Koreans are not anti-American and that everything is a "misunderstanding." Perhaps it is true that most Koreans do not hate the U.S., but as it stands now it appears that they tolerate anti-American viewpoints and displays of violence. Silence implies approval. It is not up to America to "understand" Korea. It is up to Koreans to show unequivocally that they do not view America with contempt.

Roh and his government must state outright and in no uncertain terms that mob rule, violence against Americans and anti-American education are wrong and will not be tolerated in a civilized society. Concrete measures must be taken to win back Americans' trust. Roh must rock the boat on anti-Americanism. If he does not, the goodwill that he has begun winning back will evaporate and South Korea will be worse off for it.

Owen Rathbone is a political commentator based in Seoul, South Korea. He can be contacted at: owenrathbone@yahoo.com

---

JUNE 2003:

Second ROK-US Future of Alliance Policy Initiative Meeting (June 4-5) The second Future of the Alliance Policy Initiative Meeting dealing with the realignment of U.S. military forces in South Korea was scheduled for June 4-5 in Seoul. Originally the meeting was to be held in early May, but the 2d ID relocation issue was elevated to the ROK-US Summit on 15 May. At the meeting, the two sides were to pick up on security consultations by their respective leaders during the summit. The focus would be on the realignment of the 37,000 U.S. military personnel located at 95 bases around the country. Some details of the Yongsan Garrison relocation project are expected to emerge from the meeting, including costs, sites and dates, as the two sides agreed at the first session to proceed with the move as swiftly as possible. Also of interest is how the two sides will handle the 2nd U.S. Infantry Division relocation issue.

During the Washington summit, President Roh Moo-hyun and U.S. President George W. Bush arrived at a provisional agreement to pursue the move after considering the overall security situation on the peninsula and in Northeast Asia, where the North Korean nuclear dispute currently looms large. As before, Assistant Defense Minister for Policy Maj. Gen. Cha Young-koo will head the South Korean side. Richard Lawless, deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia and Pacific, will head the U.S. team.

On 30 May Under Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz arrived to explain the security issues to the Ministry of Defense and was met with protestors surrounding Yongsan Garrison. Calling him a "baby killer" they protested the possibility of war with the North.

Anti-American Protest at Yongsan Garrison (30 June)

Rise in Student Dissent: On 30 May, students protesting the arrest of the Hangchonyeon students who participated in a rally against Roh at a Kwangju national cemetary marched in the streets. The outlawed organization's hardliners blocked President Roh Moo-hyun entry to a cemetery to attend a service on the 23rd anniversary of a pro-democratic uprising in Kwangju. The demonstration was relatively small and peaceful.

Student Protests Heats Up: However, on 1 June a radical student activists' group pushed ahead with its annual ceremony. Some 10,000 members of Hanchongnyeon, or the Federation of Korean University Student Councils, assemble at Yonsei University in western Seoul today to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the organization. The auditorium was packed.

Hanchongnyon held an academic and cultural festival on 1 June as well as hosting a 6.15-kilometer run between Yonsei University and Sogang Bridge, followed by anti-war festival in Kwanghwamun, downtown Seoul. Student activists introduced their new leaders in the evening.

Police increased security and focus on apprehending the leaders of the organization, including its chairman Jung Jae-wook. Police permited the cultural festival, but banned students from moving toward the U.S. Embassy. A number of the leaders of Hanchongnyeon, which is still designated an anti-state body under the National Security Law, are on the wanted list and will face legal punishment if caught. The government vowed to crack down on Hanchongnyon if they pursued illegal activities, signaling a change from the Roh administration's conciliatory approach. Roh had previously said he would consider legalizing the organization.

Hanchongnyeon Rally Yonsei University (30 May)

Hanchongnyeon Rally Yonsei University (1 Jun)

Anniversary of the Girls' deaths on DMZ The anniversary of the deaths of the two girls on the DMZ has the potential of flaring up into the anti-American frenzy of 2002. The outlawed radical Hanchongnyeon, Federation of Student Councils, student group held a rally on 30 May to install their new leaders and this group will form the bulk of the protestors during the street demonstrations that intends to march on the U.S. embassy.

An excellent video on the Voice of the People promoting the June 13 anniversary rally is a "MUST SEE" as it contains excellent documentary footage of the massive demonstrations that took place in 2002 -- along with terrific footage of how emotional the people were at that time. The footage also shows the current street promotions that are going on nation-wide. Liberal internet news sources have an advertisement with the phone numbers to get information on the nationwide protests on their frontpage. See the video at VIDEO: 23 May.

It is apparent that the SOFA Meeting announced its results of announcing the routes of travel for any "convoy" of two vehicles or more. The same is true of the second ROK-US Future Alliance Meeting scheduled for 4-5 June, but the results were announced earlier to the National Assembly and the public of a bolstered force with an $11 billion dollar package of improvements.

A 2 Jun Korea Herald article documented the concern.

Anniversary of girls' death worries officials

In the run-up to the first anniversary of the tragic road accident involving two Korean girls and a U.S. armored vehicle, the Seoul government is concerned about how the massive candlelight vigils slated for June 13 will affect relations between Korea and the United States.

Civic groups have mustered support to organize nationwide rallies to be attended by about one million citizens to mourn the teenage girls who were fatally crushed by a U.S. military vehicle, and to protest against U.S. acquittals of the two American soldiers involved in the case. "We are worried that relations between Korea and the United States may hit another snag if the planned rallies turn radical and violent, especially since bilateral relations have taken a positive turn after the summit between the two countries," a government official said, asking to remain anonymous.

Officials from Seoul and Washington evaluated the first summit talks between President Roh Moo-hyun and U.S. President George W. Bush in Washington last month as a success. They said it helped the two countries patch up relations strained by the road accident that triggered the most serious anti-U.S. mood ever in Korea, said a longtime U.S. ally.

"I hope the public assembly will not arouse anti-American sentiment again," the official said.

President Roh said during a cabinet meeting May 20 that the public have the freedom to express their opinion, but that he hopes the rallies will not result in any diplomatic complications.

The candlelight vigils in the country have made international headlines as they were interpreted as reflecting rising anti-U.S. sentiment in Korea. A series of apologies by U.S. leaders, including Secretary of State Colin Powell, over the deaths of the Korean girls have failed to assuage protesters. The anti-U.S. feeling in turn triggered an up swell of anti-Korean feelings in the United States.

As the culmination of their yearlong protests, some 250 nongovernmental groups launched a preparation committee in May this year to organize the first anniversary rally featuring 100 candlelight vigils at home and abroad.

Chae Hee-byung, 37, secretary-general for the Pan-Korean Committee on the Girls Killed by U.S. Armored Vehicle, said activists have been taking to the streets to recruit 100,000 members for the committee and half of the seats have so far been filled. "We are trying to gather 1 million people for nationwide candlelight vigils and 100,000 for a protest at Gwanghwamun (in central Seoul) on June 13," Chae said.

"After the Seoul rally, we will march toward the U.S. Embassy to express Koreans' anger against the U.S. military acquittal of the two soldiers," he said.

Government officials have racked their brains to come up with comprehensive measures for containing potentially counterproductive consequences of the rallies.

The government will step up security surrounding the U.S. Embassy on the rally day.

As part of efforts to minimize the scale of the planned rallies in June, South Korea and the United States announced their agreement Friday on improving the operation of the Status of Forces Agreement, which governs the legal status of 37,000 soldiers stationed here.

The two countries promised to carry out a set of steps that include advance notification of training and safety measures to prevent accidents during USFK military exercises. The Friday agreement is the last of a series of bilateral efforts to improve the SOFA operation since the launch of the Special Joint Task Force on SOFA last December.

The perceived unfairness of SOFA has generated a public furor, following the acquittals by a U.S. military court of the two servicemen charged with negligent homicide.

Activists have called for the revision of SOFA to let Korean authorities have jurisdiction over U.S. servicemen who are suspected of having committed crimes or causing accidents while on duty.

Nongovernmental organizations vowed to continue their demonstrations, saying the latest agreement between Seoul and Washington failed to meet their demands to amend and rebalance the terms of SOFA.

"I hope activists will not stage their protests in a way that could damage the Seoul-Washington alliance because cooperation between the two countries is vital in resolving North Korea's nuclear issue," said Yun Duk-min, professor at the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security.

(shj@heraldm.com) By Seo Hyun-jin

Anti-American Protest over deaths at DMZ (1 June)

In June a very well-done video promotion for resurrecting the deaths of the girls as an issue appeared on the internet. Unfortunately, the target audience is children -- and the spreading of anti-American hate to the next generation. See VIDEO for the video in Hangul, but completely transparent in its aim.

Saemangeum Protests Continue: The Rev. Mun of Kunsan has been absent from the recent meetings to coordinate the demonstrations for the anniversary of the deaths of the two girls on the DMZ at the end of May. It appears that he was tied up with his involvement with the Saemangeum protests that continue in Seoul. The cover group for this protest is the Green Korea United (GKU), a very vocal NGO activist group.

Saemangeum Protests (1 June)

Green Korea United (GKU) said 3 June that the nation's environment was moving towards danger levels. The results came in a GKU 2002-2003 report on the Korean environment, analyzing how it has changed in the past five years. (See REAL AUDIO VIDEO for video of the march.)

Saemangeum Protest (6 Jun 03)

On the opposite side of the spectrum on the Saemangeum Project, civil servants in the government of North Cholla province threatened to resign en masse as they demand that the Saemangeum landfill project be finished at the earliest date possible. They even threatened a struggle to bring down the government. Provincial Governor Gang Hyeo-nuk was in Seoul on 3 June, where he shaved his head. City council members from Chonju wrote protests in their own blood.

International attention was focused on the Saemangeum Project. The following is from the WBK English website and extracted by Talk Wildlife:

Following the historic decision of Judge KANG Young-ho on July 15th that the Saemangeum reclamation was now illegitimate and should be suspended, events have been moving very quickly. An appeal against the decision by the Ministry of Agriculture will apparently be heard on August 18th. A report in the Korean Times on July 22nd suggested that the Government - for the first time - may be bowing to pressure and might consider a compromise solution: the establishment of an "eco-tourism" park. There has been talk of perhaps keeping the sea-gates open. Our position here is clear - we will not support any "compromise" that will affect the integrity of the estuarine eco-system of Saemangeum. If the appeal is unsuccessful the Ministry has several options, including to accept the decision, or to re-apply for permission to begin the procedure all over again. When the reclamation was initially begun in 1991 no Environmental Impact Assessment was done: in 2003 an EIA would clearly show that the reclamation would not be acceptable. The fight to stop the reclamation would be effectively won.

Even if the appeal is successful, the fight to save Saemangeum will go on. Since the court decision, WBKEnglish has been helping co-ordinate the protests of the international community. One element of this has been our online petition. By August 01 (13 days after posting) over 3000 signatures had been posted from people opposed to the Saemangeum reclamation in 56 countries. The petition has been passed around the web and linked from list servers around the world, from many of the world's major birding websites (e.g. Surfbirds, Fatbirder, the ABA website), and from the websites of some of the largest conservation groups in the world, inc WWF, BirdLife International, and Ramsar.

Whilst Korean NGOs have played a role in getting Saemangeum reported within Korea (Saemangeum is now one of Korea's most protested-about issues), there are NO international NGOs working in Korea so part of our strategy has been to involve conservation groups worldwide. To date, we have had detailed contact with groups in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, USA, and the UK:

WWF-Australia have just announced that a Saemangeum Petition will be posted as part of their "Panda Passport" scheme worldwide; leading conservation groups in New Zealand and Australia are organising the handing-in of letters of protest to Korean Embassies and have contacted members of their own Governments, including NZ Prime Minister Helen Clark; Birdlife International are organising letters of protest; the American Birding Association's Paul Baicich has stated that he will be including Saemangeum in the next ABA e-newsletter, which goes out across the USA.

Various media have responded very positively too. For example, the Oriental Bird Club published an article on Saemangeum in their June Bulletin, as did the Dutch Birding Association. BBC Wildlife is including a news item on Saemangeum in their next issue. The superb TVE/BBC World programme on Saemangeum was shown around the world, and has now been repeated many times on Korean television - generating massive protests against the reclamation. Despite this the international media have been slow to report on Saemangeum: our next step is to change that, and to do so before the all-important Court decision on August 18th.

Democracy Festival Seoul (7 Jun)

However, later in the afternoon, a large demonstration of activists gathered in front of Seoul City Hall and battled police as they tried to march on the U.S. embassy. Tongil News published some very violent photos of the battle. The theme was a rememberance for the two girls with a candlelight vigil. This was a rehearsal for the main event scheduled for June 13. Video of this protest at Voice of the People shows how the pushing and shoving escalated by rabble-rousers egging the radical students on. (NOTE: Yonhap News on 8 Aug stated, "Seoul District Court Friday sentenced a man arrested during anti-U.S. protests in June to an 18-month jail term with a three-year suspension. Jeon Hyun-wook, a former student activist, was indicted for assaulting a riot policeman during a June 7 rally in Seoul while protesting a U.S. court martial's decision last November to acquit two American soldiers whose armored truck ran over and killed two Korean schoolgirls. The rally took place five days ahead of the first anniversary of the two girls' deaths." This sends the wrong message to students that they can commit acts of violence and then be "forgiven.")

Anti-American Demonstration Seoul (7 Jun)

At Camp Red Cloud, a large demonstration was held to protest the deaths of the girls saying "We Will Not Forget." Actually this was to be a rehash of the anti-American campaign centering around the two girls tragically killed in June 2002. Marching to through the streets of Uijongbu to get to the camp, a long line stretched carrying banners. There were the normal anti-American performances showing Roh as Bush's obedient whore and the traditional flag burning over a head of Bush. There was the usual confrontation with the riot police, but not as violent as some in the past. Protest at Camp Howze on 6 Jun was small and peaceful as shown by the video at Voice of the People. Again these protests were a rehearsal for the large demonstration to be held on June 13.

Demonstration at Camp Red Cloud at Uijongbu (7 Jun)

On June 8, an estimated 7,000 students gathered at the ceremony held at Yonsei University. Jeong Jae-uk, president of the Yonsei University student council, was officially inaugurated as president of the group that the Korean government has branded "anti-state." In an indication of its new moderate stance, members of the organization only briefly confronted the police in front of the U.S. Army's Yongsan Garrison later that afternoon, and quickly dispersed. The outlawed organization attempted to distance itself from violent demonstrations -- but at the same time provided the organization that feeds the demonstrators to the violent demonstrations organized by other NGO groups.

The following are some pages from Voice of the People with additional photos of the demonstrations going on as a prelude to the June 13 demonstrations.

• mms://media.cast.or.kr/kndic/movie/613_han.wmv -- video
• mms://media.cast.or.kr/kndic/movie/03_0530_urimana.wmv -- 2 Jun video
• http://db.voiceofpeople.org/new/news_view.html?serial=4542&category=type10 -- newspage
• http://db.voiceofpeople.org/new/news_view.html?serial=4542&category=type10 -- newspage
• http://db.voiceofpeople.org/new/news_view.html?serial=4542&category=type10 -- newspage

Hubbard and General Laporte searched for the words most likely to convince skeptical Koreans of both their sorrow and their dedication to preventing a similar tragedy. Hubbard, after meeting with the father of one of the girls, said that he had "once again expressed our deepest sense of remorse" and "apologized from the bottom of my heart for this tragic loss." He made the apology, he said, "on behalf of President Bush and the American people" and promised to attend memorial services on Friday along with General LaPorte and other top American officials at the chapel of the US military garrison here. General LaPorte, proclaiming Friday "a day of remembrance" for US forces in the ROK, again offered the families of the two girls "our heartfelt remorse, heartache and sadness over their loss." The US command, he said, accepted "full responsibility for this tragic accident" while offering "our deepest apologies during this extremely important and mournful time." In memory of the tragedy, General LaPorte canceled training exercises for troops in the US Second Infantry Division, one of whose units was on a two-week military exercise when the girls were killed. The division, he said, would conduct memorial services at all 17 of its installations, from its headquarters several miles north of Seoul to a battalion post several miles below the line with the DPRK. Such high-level expressions of grief appeared unlikely, however, to have much effect on the plans of a network of 90 civic groups to persuade tens of thousands of Koreans to take to the streets on Friday night. They will be carrying paper cups containing candles, shouting slogans and singing songs mourning the deaths and deploring the US military presence.

Anniversary of Girls Deaths with Calls for Nationwide Protest (June 13): Tens of thousands of South Koreans commemorated the first anniversary of the deaths of the two schoolgirls. Between 25,000-30,000 citizens from 65 regions across the nation including civic group, labor activists and students participated in candlelight ceremonies gathered Friday in front of Seoul City Hall in honor of the deaths. The primary group was the SOFA Revision NGO group. However, the turnout was much smaller than expected for the organizers. Part of the reason appears that various groups held their own rallies in different locations in Seoul. Some only joined the City Hall rally later on to march on the U.S. embassy. Another reason appears that the government warnings that a protest would be potentially harmful to the national interests and economy tended to dampen any thoughts of participation. Throughout the nation events in about 50 locations were scheduled to commemorate the event and the turnouts were small.

Though there was some violence and the usual anti-Americanism present in the event, the police effectively contained the demonstrators attempts to expand the demonstration into a violent event. It appears that the general populace -- who still support the idea of the organizers -- stayed away for fear that violence might occur and as a result, few children were present in the later candlelight vigil.

Anti American-SOFA Demonstration (13 Jun)

The following is from Base 21 an activist source. The article laments the smaller than expected turnout and rationalizes that politicians "used" the people for their own gains and disenchanted many people who supported the cause.

South Koreans in struggle against US Imperialism

by Christian / Base21 Media Activists
dvs-b@t-online.de

Last Friday evening and night ten thousands - students, unionists, street vendors and professor - gathered in front of Seoul's City Hall to remember the killing of the two schoolgirls, Shin Hyo-soon and Shim Mi-seon, by US armored vehicle exactly one year before.

Hundreds of - mainly - school-students carried self-made peace birds, huge papier-mache effigies of the girls were erected in front of the stage.

In speeches they called for a retrial by a South Korean court and for the revision of the notorious "SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement)" which is much in favor of the U.S. But many people, interviewed, said that they are quite sure that there will be no changes in SOFA in the future, so it would be the best only to kick the USFK (United States Forces Korea) out off Korea. They also expressed their worries about an US attack against the North Korea.

A huge banner with a US flag was burned, like thousands of paper made small US flags. A while after 8 pm thousands started to march toward the US embassy. Around 10.000 riot cops could stop them only by using excessive violence. The cops used truncheons, tear gas and even fire extinguisher against the protesters. Heavy fight between unionists and students on the one side and cops on the other side erupted for a while. A massive rally on Seoul's Jong-no avenue, blocked for hours by the demonstrators, ended the event.

The crowds were only a fraction of the size predicted by the organizers - who had hoped for a turnout of 1 million people in whole Korea - but were nonetheless the largest in month and showed that anti-US imperialist sentiments remaining strong beneath the surface.

On the demonstrations on the end of last year we could count sometimes hundreds of thousands demonstrators. During this time about 600 civic and political organizations joined the movement. But during the hot presidential election period in middle of December some left political organizations tried to abuse the anti-USFK demonstrations for their own election campaign. Later they said it was a mistake, but - according to activists - the most of the people don't believed and felt used. In the beginning of the year the people started to stay away from this kind of protests. After the "official" start of the aggression against Iraq the issue mobilized again ten thousands of protesters. But also here some political groups made the same "mistake" and tried to use the rallies for their own interests. And again the people felt used by them.

Under this circumstances the ten thousands protesters on last Friday's rally and demonstration were a not so bad result. And the activists promised that they want to continue the struggle against US imperialism and war - all the same whether in Iraq or on the Korean Peninsula.

2003 / 06 / 16
SE21 News Desk
base21@base21.org

According to the Chosun Ilbo on 13 Jun, a committee formed after the girls' deaths gave a press conference near the U.S. Embassy at 11:00 a.m. and later held a ceremony to unveil a monument in honor of the girls. In other areas of the country, groups gathered in peaceful demonstrations. At the school of the two girls, an outside commemorative event was to be held, but when reporters showed up the event was moved indoors and the school a moment of silence at the 5th period. (See video from Voice of the People of schoolgirls chanting with tears on 13 Jun at Video.)

The assembled mass were from various NGO activist groups and there seemed to be sending mixed messages at times. The Unification faction fostered the peace and unification with the north. Their message was that if America were gone from the peninsula, the two Koreas could live in peace and harmony. This is the lead NGO movement group.

Unification NGO Groups

The anti-War group brought their message of "No War-No Bases". Moved to the background after it lost its relevancy after the Iraq War's swift conclusion, it continues to foster its anti-American messages directed at the USFK bases as the war-mongers. Its message remains "no war with North Korea" and any joint military program.

Anti-War NGO Group

The police deployed about 10,000 men around City Hall, where the vigil was held, and had contingency plans to block the site if something unexpected occurred that was deemed dangerous. Surrounding the U.S. Embassy over in Gwanghwamun was 1,300 riot police, along with lines of police buses. To prevent the demonstrations from taking on an anti-U.S. tone, people participating in the vigil were subject to searches -- confiscating objects such as U.S. flags or masks of President George W. Bush. If demonstrators try to burn a U.S. flag, the police vowed that they would be arrested and prosecuted.

Protestors intent on burning American flags instead brought small paper flags to avoid the search. Instead of the American flag, a replica on a large banner was used to substitute for the flag. Early on, the theme of the protest started to turn anti-American, but compared to past demonstrations, this one was rather muted. According to the Taiwan News, "Chanting "Let's kick out the Americans!" the students charged toward the U.S. Embassy. Behind them, thousands of other demonstrators burnt paper American flags."

Anti American-SOFA Demonstration (13 Jun)

At 5 p.m., about 15,000 activists assembled, many of them from the left-wing teachers, outlawed student group Hanchongryun. After a ceremony, they marched north toward the U.S. Embassy in Gwanghwamun. The civic group that organized the assembly called for the Status of Forces Agreement, which governs legal affairs involving U.S. troops here, to be revised without delay. The police had mobilized 12,000 riot personnel to prevent disorder, and security was also beefed up near the U.S. base in Yongsan and the U.S. Embassy. (Video from Voice of the People of gathering across from Seoul Plaza Hotel on 13 Jun at Video.)

After holding their rally at Jongmyo Park, Hanchongnyeon student activists joined the rally at the Seoul Plaza. According to the Associated Press (Jae-Suk Yoo, "ROKS STAGE HUGE ANTI-US RALLIES," Seoul, 06/13/03) it was reported that the protestors near the US Embassy were chanting "Punish the murderous GIs!" and "Withdraw US troops!" At one point, several hundred students, some wearing masks and wielding plastic poles, charged toward the embassy, as thousands of other demonstrators set fire to paper US flags. Riot police used plastic shields and sprayed fire extinguishers to beat back the protesters, who threw dirt at the helmeted officers. No serious injuries were reported. Assemblies were also held in other cities, including Pusan, Kwangju, and Taejeon, as well as in 14 places in 5 other nations.

Radical NGO groups attack the U.S. Embassy

The USFK held a memorial service at a church in Yongsan Garison, Seoul, honoring the memory of the two schoolgirls. There were more than 300 people in attendance, including Gen. Leon J. LaPorte, commander of the USFK, and U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Thomas Hubbard. In Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi province, the U.S. Second Infantry Division, led by Major General John Wood, also held a memorial ceremony. All training exercises were suspended for the day.

Memorial Services at Uijongbu for 2d ID (13 Jun 03)

'Remembrance of Two Middle School Girls' - About 50 Candle Gatherings

On June 13, exactly a year after the death of the two middle school girls, Hyo Soon Shin and Mi Sun Shim killed by a U.S. armored vehicle, there were memorial events held in about 50 places nationwide including the public square in front of Seoul City Hall. In the great candle march in ‘Remembrance of the Two Middle School Girls / National Independence / Anti-War Peace Rally’ held in the public square in front of City Hall starting at five in the afternoon, 15,000 people gathered around on top of 25,000 people nationwide to participate in the memorial.

The event held in front of Seoul City Hall included the ‘folding of 10,000 paper cranes to be sent to Hyo Soon and Mi Sun’ along with singing performances by Chi Hwan An, Hae Cheol Shin and Goddagi.

Joyang Middle School (Gwangjeok-myun, Yangju-gun, Gyeonggi Province), the school these two girls attended, planned to hold a one year memorial service with the participation of teaching staff and students in the morning but when the press gathered, the school replaced the open memorial service with a silent prayer in classrooms before the start of 5th period.

The 2nd Division of U.S. Army located in Garueng-dong, Uijeongbu, also held a memorial service at its headquarters with the participation of Division General John Wood and other regional commanders. This memorial service lasted for an hour including the singing of hymns, a memorial address by Gen. Wood, and prayers for the deceased and their families. On this day, 2,000 members of the National Street Vendor General Union joined the memorial service held in front of City Hall after holding its own ‘National Street Vendor Rally’.

Moreover, 3,000 students of the Korean University Student Association Union held its own memorial gathering at Jongmyo Park at five in the afternoon and later moved to City Hall.

The Police doubled its security at the U.S. Embassy, the 8th Division Army and the Ambassador’s Residence and prepared for unexpected situations by placing 10,000 policemen within the city limits.

Before the candle gathering, ‘the National Countermeasure Committee on the Deaths of the Two Middle School Girls (Joint Representatives including Guen Soo Hong and many others)’ had a press conference concerning the nationwide candlelight march in front of the KT building next to the U.S. Embassy at eleven in the morning.

Moreover, a Candle Monument was erected on the sidewalk in front of Kyobo Book Store located in Jongro-1-ga, Jongro-gu, Seoul to commemorate the 1-year anniversary of the death of the two girls and the 200 days of the candlelight march.

Memorial at Kyobo Bookstore (13 Jun 03)

Unification Rallies (14 June) There were some small unification rallies held across the country. The events were peaceful. In some, the message was as before that the Koreas could live peacefully if the Americans would just leave. At other rallies some speakers attempted to resurrect the idea that Korea could go it alone and resolve the nuclear crisis without U.S. intervention. Tongil News had a picture of one of the street marches (which it later deleted) with the marchers carrying an American flag that looked like it had been used for target practice with paint bombs to make this point. Little was said about these rallies in the English language dailies. The idealistic basis for reunification are supported by everyone -- even me -- but they fly in the face of reality at this time. Even the "Sunshine Policy" of Kim Dae-jung stated that peace between the two Koreas must exist FIRST; then confederation; and finally unification. The problem is that North Korea won't allow the stage to even approach step one...but the NGO groups unfortunately heap the blame on the U.S.

Unification Movement (15 Jun)

Acccording to Yonhap News a candlelight rally to commemorate the deaths of the two girls was held at a park near the White House in Washington D.C. on 14 June (Korea). In a statement, Korean-American ralliers claimed the incident was evidence of America's unequal relations with South Korea and completely different standards for U.S. troops in Korea compared to those based in Japan and Germany. (SITE NOTE: These protestors formed the core group which protested at the White House in Dec 2002 and still show their ignorance of what a SOFA is and how it operates or is negotiated. These arguments are typical of politically-oriented Korean-American youth groups.)

Unification Movement Rallies (15 June) June 15th was the third anniversary of the June 2000 inter-Korean summit. Unfortunately, official government ceremonies could not be held due to many of those responsible for organizing the summit are already under arrest or undergoing investigation as part of the Hyundai Maritime Scandal that the summit was bought. In June 2000 Kim Dae-jung and Kim Jong-il held the first inter-Korean summit since 1953. Subsequent openings of the railroad link and highway connections raised the South Korean hopes of reunification -- though the North kept dashing them regularly.

Braving rains in the morning, anti-Roh Hanchongnyeon students gathered outside the National Assembly building to protest the Roh government. The view is that the Roh government was caving in to U.S. demands to isolate the North in what the students view as "diplomacy of humiliation." There was the obligatory confrontation with police and the new event addtion to the "rally olympics" of throwing eggs. (This is usually done at USFK camps where throwing eggs over the fences is a featured event.) Then the rally -- that was dampened by the rain -- dissolved. The student activists then took their protest to the subways, spreading their information to youths on the subway and posting signs.

Student Anti-Government Demonstration (15 Jun)

Other unification rallies were held in other locations that were peaceful. In the afternoon, there was the 6.15 Unification Run held in Seoul that drew a large crowd despite the rains. (See Voice of the People Video for a indoor meeting of unification supporters with speeches & dance/singing performances.)

Unification Movement Rally and Run (14 Jun)

At Yongsan Garrison a large crowd gathered outside the gate and protested the U.S. with skits that depicted the U.S. dividing the Koreas and keeping them divided. The fervor was fed by the singing of patriotic songs and rousing renditions of "Fucking U.S.A" -- the standard of any anti-U.S. protest. As expected, the activist student elements confronted the riot police. The riot police blocked the road leading to the main gate before the overpass. The students were beaten back with shields and fire extinguishers. In a video of the demonstration, the traditional American flag burning was over in an instant because the painted flag soaked in a highly volatile material went up in a flash. The more peaceful elements "decorated" the police buses and trucks with balloons, grafitti and thrown eggs. (See Voice of the People Video for video of the demonstration. See Voice of the People Video for video of the violent confrontation and American flag burning demonstration. )

Anti-American Demonstration of Unification NGO Group at Yongsan (15 Jun)

Chohung Bank Strike (18-21 Jun): The state-run Chohung Bank, the nation's fourth largest lender, will be sold to Shinan Bank for 3.37 trillion won (US$2.81 billion). Currently, the state-run Korea Deposit Insurance Corp. holds the 80.04 percent stake in the bank which it would transfer to Shinan. The government will be required to cover up to 650 billion won in future losses, meaning that the real sale price, taking into consideration "indemnifications," stands at around 2.7 trillion won. The sale price matches the amount of public funds the government has injected into Chohung since 1998. Shinhan will pay cash for 51 percent of the government's holdings in Chohung, with the remainder being acquired through the exchange of its own stocks. However the 5,800-strong union in the company staged an indefinite general strike in mid-June causing a run on the bank as depositors withdrew their funds. Some 4 trillion won in deposits drained out of the bank between June 16 and 18 -- an amount considered significant given the lender's total deposit volume of 35 trillion won, included the outflow of as much as 3 trillion won seen on June 18 alone. This forced the Bank of Korea to inject emergency funds worth 2 trillion won ($1.69 billion) into Chohung Bank to stave off a liquidity squeeze caused by the run on the bank -- but more may be required. Over 400 bank offices were closed with only a few open run by non-union and retired personnel. (See Voice of the People for video footoage of strike.)

The government gave a deadline of 22 Jun for negotiations between Shinan management, labor and government to be complete -- or the government would send in riot police to break up the strike. The union settled their dispute with Shinan just prior to the deadline on 21 Jun and the protest appeared to have been resolved. However, the settlement that the Chohung management staff would remain in control for three years raises questions as to why would union be involved in management issues. Questions are raised over the government policy toward handling labor negotiations -- and ultimately caving in to labor demands. This case will set the tone of other strikes pending for June.

Farmers Protest FTA with Chile (20 Jun): On 20 Jun farmers attempted to stage a mass demonstration in Yoido with 50,000, but the police restricted the entry into the area. The chants were "down, down WTO -- down down FTA." The farmers were demonstrating against Korea's free-trade agreement with Chile blocked major expressways nationwide with trucks and tractors yesterday, creating heavy traffic jams. Some agricultural workers lay on roadways or drove their vehicles slowly to impede traffic. In North Chungcheong province blocked the Joongbu Expressway with an hour-long demonstration. In North Gyeongsang province farmers drove their cars at a leisurely pace to slow down traffic. On the Namhae Expressway in South Gyeongsang province, 150 cars driven by farmers took over the highway, jamming the road in both directions for nearly 24 hours. About 200 farmers in South Jeolla province protested in front of Gwangju Station and tried to block the Honam Expressway with about 80 trucks and sedans, sparking a clash with police and tying up the route from 11 a.m. until late afternoon. Later 300 cars filled with agricultural workers from North Jeolla province slowed down traffic by driving at about 20 kilometers (12 miles) an hour. Farmers in South Chungcheong province joined in with another 40 trucks. Another 1,500 farmers from North and South Chungcheong provinces tried to drive to Seoul, sharing 800 trucks and passenger cars. They were prevented by police from reaching the capital and continued their protest at the tollgate of the Honam Expressway. About 1,000 members of the Korean Farmers League assembled at Youido in Seoul and demonstrated in front of the National Assembly, demanding that the free-trade agreement be withdrawn. They said phasing out tariffs against Chilean products would cause the collapse of Korean agriculture. The league said it would stage a large protest June 30 if the government presents the free-trade agreement to the National Assembly for ratification. (See Voice of the People for video footoage of farmer protests blocking the highways. Video shows farmers burning farm machines in protest and riot police using shields and fire extinguishers to push back the crowd to put out the machinery fire.)

Korea Teachers Union (KTU) Protest NEIS (21 June): Yonhap News released information about 5,000 teachers from the National Teachers Union holding a mass rally in a Seoul university on 21 Jun to protest the implementation of the NEIS computerized student database and their subsequent 3.2 kilometer march to the center of Seoul. (See NEIS for background information on this protest. See Voice of the People: VIDEO for 21 Jun Protest.)

KTU Protest (21 Jun)

Anti-North Korea/Pro-U.S. Rally (21 Jun): According to the Joongang Ilbo on 21 Jun, about 100,000 people were to hold a rally in the City Hall plaza to protest North Korea's nuclear ambitions. The demonstration was to protest Kim Jong-il's rule and call for a strengthened alliance between South Korea and United States.

The rally filled Seoul Plaza with people in excess of 110,000 people. A prayer in memory of those lost during the Korean War started the rally. The rally included a memorial service for the naval personnel killed in the Yellow Sea naval battle with North Korea in June 2002 -- as a counterpoint to the 13 Jun memorial to the deaths of the two girls. (As a side note, the Ministry of National Defense held a memorial service on 22 June for the sailors killed during the battle that was attended by about 300 people.)

The protesters also criticized the Korean Teachers and Educational Workers Union for what they called anti-American teachings. The protesters included Kang Young-hoon, former prime minister, Chung Ki-seung, former justice of the Supreme Court, and Song Bok, a professor at Yonsei University. The Christian Council of Korea, the Korea Freedom League, and the Veterans Association were sponsors of the rally. The groups previously held an assembly on March 1 protesting the North's nuclear program and supporting reunification based on liberal democracy.

According to a 22 Jun article in the Joongang Ilbo."The first half of the rally was composed of “national salvation prayers” lead by several Protestant ministers. The second half was called a “national mass meeting,” which included a memorial service for soldiers killed in the Yellow Sea naval battle last year and criticism of the North’s government and pro-North sentiment in the South. Participants shouted, “Dae Han Min Guk,” the official name of Korea, while waving both the Korean and American flags. There was a minor scuffle between the police and some demonstrators when protesters tried to move to Taepyeongno, Gwang-hwamun, after complaining that the designated rally point in the plaza was too small for their numbers."

In Tongil News and OhMy News there were photos of the rally showing an overflow crowd in Seoul Plaza. In addition, there was an item in Tongil News about a group of Buddhist monks who protested separately about the sending on monies to North Korea.

Anti North Korea/Pro-U.S. Demonstration (21 Jun)

The rally was peaceful except for the period the riot police had to interrupt the burning of the North Korean flag. According to the The China Post, ""Let's drive out (North Korean leader) Kim Jong Il!" they shouted. "Strengthen the alliance with the United States!" ... To cries of "Let's beat Kim Jong Il to death," some demonstrators burned a large picture of the North's leader, while others set red-and-blue North Korean flags on fire." A minor tussle ensued as the police moved in. The burning of any national flag is against the law, but North Korea is considered a "non-country" by Korean law. The NGO group claim the police allowed the NGO groups to burn American flags, but stopped them. In actuality, the difference between these anti-North groups and the anti-USFK NGO groups is methodology. The anti-American NGO groups burn the U.S. flag in the midst of the crowd thus using the crowd as its buffer zone. To put out the fire, the riot police would have to fight its way through the crowd to get to the area -- touching off a major riot. The anti-North group, on the other hand, burn their flags, banners and effigies next to the stage area in front of the crowds -- but also in front of the riot police ranks as well.

The following is from the Korea Times (Police Stop NK Flag Burning, Triggers Controversy, Na Jeong-ju, 22 Jun) over the mini-controversy about the burning of the North Korean flag.

Controversy is growing after police Saturday blocked a move by anti-North Korea activists to burn the North's flag during a street rally in front of City Hall in central Seoul. Police put out a burning North Korean flag with an extinguisher set by the activists during a rally condemning Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions and calling for strengthening the country's alliance with the United States. Many activists who participated in the rally criticized police for making an about-face from its stance during anti-U.S. rallies last year, where it didn't attempt to take any action when protestors burned American flags. The activists said it is an indication the police are becoming left-wing in their policies, and ignoring South Korea's ties with the United States, a long-time ally of South Korea. Burning a flag of a foreign country is in violation of the laws preventing the defamation of the symbols of foreign countries, but burning a North Korean flag is an exception because current laws define North Korea as non-foreign country. But the police claim burning anything during a rally is illegal, citing laws defining protests and demonstrations. ``The problem is they are setting fire to something. Burning a North Korean flag is not the issue,'' a police officer said. Last year, police also blocked protesters from burning the North Korean flag and portraits of its leader Kim Jong-il during protests during the Pusan Asian Games where Pyongyang sent hundreds of its athletes.

Riot police attempting to extinguish the North Korean flag burning (21 Jun)

There was a strong ROK veteran presence. Unlike the young student radicals, the veteran elements are strong supporters of the U.S. presence in Korea as a deterent. As in the 11 Mar rally, the veteran groups provide a visible presence with their military regalia and ultra-patriotic rhetoric.

Veteran Groups at anti-North Korea/Pro-US Rally (21 Jun)

What we find strange is that the the official government-news agency, Yonhap News on 21 Jun made NO mention of the rally, though a Yonhap News news item did cover the 5,000 teachers from the National Teachers Union holding a mass rally. As of 23 Jun, there was no reference to the event. It was almost as though this event was viewed as a non-event by the official Korean media source -- though a 100,000 people participated in it. In addition, there was NO coverage on the major television news stations as well. The Conservative Chosun Ilbo and Joongang Ilbo ran small articles on the event -- and the Donga Ilbo ran a photo -- but the majority of the liberal newspapers simply ignored the event. The activist news sources, Tongil News and OhMy News, published excellent photos of the event.

This resembles the lack of coverage that was given the 11 Jan pro-USFK/anti-North rally where 30,000 people showed up, but not a word was heard in the local press or TV. The coverage was only picked up in one Australian newspaper. At that time it appeared the Kim Dae-jung administration was deliberately clamping a lid on anything anti-North Korean as ministerial-level meetings were scheduled for the following week. The same scenario applied in June as North Korea appeared to be looking to the South as an exit from the isolation it has been pushed into as the result of its confrontation with the U.S. According to the Unification Ministry, Pyongyang pushed for a wide range of joint projects with Seoul, including the Mt. Kumgang tourism project, inter-Korean family reunions and construction of the Kaesong industrial park. A ministerial-level meeting is also scheduled for July, while Pyongyang was expected to allow civic groups to visit the North. The Roh administration does NOT want anything upsetting the apple cart. It is rather strange -- but does smack of government censorship.

Though the event was reported abroad based on an Associated Press release -- it included some misinformation. A news blurp on CBS TV 47 on 21 Jun stated, "About 40-thousand people gathered in Seoul on Saturday, burning North Korean flags and calling for the death of the North's president. Banners proclaimed support for the U-S military presence in South Korea." This same news blurp appeared nationwide in the U.S. on other CBS affliliate TV news websites.

The Chosun Ilbo ran an article on 22 Jun covering the rally. We find it significant that the rally was referred to as an anti-North Korea rally, but the newspaper chose NOT to make any reference to it as pro-USFK.

110,000 Rally Against Kim Jong Il

by Kim Seung-bum (sbkim@chosun.com)

More than 100,000 people from scores of civic groups rallied in front of Seoul's City Hall on Saturday evening in opposition to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and his regime's nuclear development program.

A former top general of the South Korean Army, Paik Sun-yup, gave the opening speech, and the crowd, estimated at 110,000 people, waved the South Korean and U.S. flags throughout the rally.

Another speaker, Lee Sang-hun, president of the Korean Veterans Association, said the country's younger generation had a deluded image of the North's Kim Jong Il regime, and said the nation's defense situation was more dangerous than it was during the Korean War.

Lee Sang-jin, president of a civic group called the Korean Principles Association, said that the teachers in the left-wing student's union, Jeongyojo, were imposing "imbalanced ideologies" upon their students.

A leader of another civic group, Bong Tae-hong, voiced support for the South Korea-U.S. alliance, saying that if the U.S. Forces in Korea withdrew from the peninsula foreign investors would stop investing here and the economy would collapse. The government should strengthen the alliance, he said.

Parents of sailors killed during last year's North-South naval clash in the West Sea also participated in the rally.

Hwang Eun-tae, father of the late Hwang Do-hyun, said, "My father was killed in the war by a bullet from a North Korean soldier, and now my son has also been killed by the North. The public commemorates the death of the two middle-school girls killed by a U.S. Army vehicle, but they do not remember the people killed by the North."

At 6 p.m., the participants tried to burn a 3x1 meter North Korean flag, but the police stepped in and quickly put out the flames. A brief tussle ensued.

In addition to the major rally, there was a small demonstration led by a Buddhist faction against the giving of monies to the North. It marched through the streets until its path was blocked by riot police. This was covered in an article in the Tongil News.

Hankook Poll Shows Increase in "Conservatives" An opinion survey conducted by Media Research and Korean-language daily Hankook Ilbo on June 9 indicated that the majority of the Korean people are going more towards pro-Americanism and conservatism. Progressive-minded people who supported President Roh during the Presidential election last December are quickly leaving him and in their place are coming conservative-minded people.

In the survey, 36.9% said they were conservatives while 24.4% identified themselves with progressives. The larger group of 37.6% said they ware middle of the roaders. The figures indicate a substantial increase of conservatives from the figures of the past surveys when the results were progressives 24.9%, centrists 38.6% and conservatives 34.7%.

On the South's North Korea policy, hardliners also made a visible increase. Some 22.2% of the respondents said that aid to North Korea must stop completely, which indicates an increase of 7.2% compared with 15% recorded last year.

The conservatives and a substantial portion of the centrists in Korea are considered to be pro-American.

Unions Strike for Higher Wages On 23 Jun, President Roh said that some of the recent labor union strikes were an attempt to "tame" the government, but that such walkouts are not acceptable and would be dealt with sternly. However, Roh stressed that even in the case of illegal strikes, the government should use maximum restraint in making the decision to use force to end unlawful collective action.

Subway union workers in major cities, including Incheon, Daegu and Busan walked out demanding that the management hire more safety personnel to minimize safety-related accidents in the workplace. The strike was short lived, but did disrupt the country transportation systems for days. Unionists at the Korean National Railroad said that they would stage a strike June 28 in defiance of the government's move to pass a controversial "railroad reform bill" without its consent. This did not come about.

The Federation of Korean Trade Unions, an umbrella union group, also announced that it was planning an "indefinite" general strike in conjunction with local taxi and bus drivers starting from June 30. This too fizzled with mainly four-hour strikes being held. The government indicated that it considered these strikes "illegal." Industrial observers warned that the strikes would deal a heavy blow to local transportation systems, causing public inconvenience and serious damage to the national economy.

In a related development, unionized workers at major automakers, including Hyundai Motor and Ssangyong Motor, are organizing a large-scale strike, which would start 25 June. About 38,000 workers, the largest number in a single workplace strike ever, are expected to participate in the walkouts. Hyundai unions and management have been in talks for two months over wages and working conditions. Unions want an average 11% wage rise and a four-hour reduction to 40 hours in the working week. A Hyundai spokesman said the union had also demanded the right to take part in company decision-making. "They are making excessive demands," he said.

] The decision to strike followed a call by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) for a nationwide walkout on 25 June. The KCTU said 100,000 workers at 100 workplaces across South Korea would participate in the 25 Jun industrial action. Rallies in Seoul and some provincial cities are planned.

In early July, member unions of the Korea Metal Worker's Federation and the Korean Chemical & Textile Workers' Federation planned to walk out, which was to be followed by another strike by the Korea Health & Medical Workers' Union on July 11.

Fearing serious repercussions for the economy, the nation's five largest business organizations, including the Federation of Korean Industries and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, issued a joint statement, urging the unionists to immediately suspend strike plans. The statement, jointly read by the heads of the five associations, expressed concerns that a string of nationwide strikes affecting the nation's industrial backbone would create economic chaos and catastrophe. "At this time of shrinking investment and opaque outlooks for exports and domestic consumption, simultaneous strikes by labor unions would throw the entire nation into confusion," the statement warned.

Analysts have attributed spreading labor unrest in South Korea to the failure of President Roh's government to take tough action on labor issues. The Chohung Bank strike in June was widely seen as a success for unions as it resulted in higher wages and jobs being guaranteed for three years. According to a 23 Jun Reuters article, "With the economy already on the verge of entering its first recession in five years, more industrial disruption would dismay authorities and investors -- especially as a sovereign rating review by Fitch Ratings is due to begin on Wednesday. Analysts and fund managers have criticized President Roh Moo-hyun, a former labor lawyer, and his four-month-old government for taking a soft line on labor, arguing it has emboldened unions to demand higher pay and to block structural reforms potentially requiring layoffs."

---

Return to Top

---

For comments or inputs, contact:

Kalani O'Sullivan .

NOTICE/DISCLAIMER: The content of this page is UNOFFICIAL and the views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of anyone associated with this page or any of those linked from this site. All opinions are those of the writer and are intended for entertainment purposes only. Links to other web pages are provided for convenience and do not, in any way, constitute an endorsement of the linked pages or any commercial or private issues or products presented there. Neither the DOD, the Air Force, the 8th Fighter Wing nor Mickey Mouse has endorsed any of this site. All Air Force links are publicly accessible through the worldwide web. If there is any discrepancy between eye-witness accounts and OFFICIAL DOD records, this site opts to lend credence to the eye-witness views.

---

Return to Top

Weekly

---