• Off-Base Issues: Prostitution and A-Town - Wolf Pack to combat prostitution -- an object lesson in futility -- and on-base rapes increase; A-town Off-limits -- the makings of a scandal (Updated: January 2004)
  

• Military Affairs (2003) -- USS Carl Vinson arrives in Pusan; Elmendorf F-15s at Osan; Marine FA-18s arrive at Kunsan in May; Low-key buildup; End of May return to normal. (Updated: 3 June 2003)
• Military Affairs (2004) -- Seoul Courts Rule Against USFK Land Use; Vehicle Registration Policy Change; Crime Reports on USFK Soldiers; Continuing ROK-US Prosecutions; Bonus to Soldiers for Extension (Updated: 14 January 2004)
  
  
• Relocation of USFK Bases (2003) -- In March USF announces it will relocate off the DMZ and south of the Han River; Renegotiations of Restructuring of 50-year old alliance; U.S. to invest $11 billion in Korea defense; Korea forced to increase its Defense spending; Enmeshed and entangled, the ROK drags its feet and attempts to shift the financial burden to the USFK; U.S. playing hardball and negotiations hit major snag in September 2003. 15-17 Jan continuation of meetings on relocation and reduction in forces. The first bases Camp Greaves and Giant to be returned in Nov 2004 under the LPP instead of 2011. (Updated: 31 Dec 2003)
  
  
  • Stryler/LAVIII: Our Opinion -- Details on the Stryker SBCT (3d Bde 2d ID) that will be replacing the 2d ID on the DMZ as part of a global repositioning strategy. Included are short sections on current USFK weapons systems that may augment the Stryker units in Korea after all the smoke has cleared. Stryker headed to Iraq in mid-October; US wants future forces to have a "regional" role; Stryker unit in Iraq in 2003 and blooded in Jan 2004. Stryker with its jerry-rigged LPG protection screens undergo the acid test of combat. Strykers success in Iraq for urban warfare role, but still questions about use in mountainous terrain unanswered. Decision to return the Interim Brigade Combat Team to Korea appears to be still up in the air as of 2004. (Updated: Jan 2004)
  
  
  
• Relocation of USFK Bases (2004) -- 15-17 Jan continuation of meetings on relocation and reduction in forces. The first bases Camp Greaves and Giant to be returned in Nov 2004 under the LPP instead of 2011. (Updated: Weekly)
  
  
  • Proposed ROK FY2005 Military Budget -- Is It the Last Straw??? (OPINION) -- ROK Promised Defense Spending increase of 3.2 percent of GDP in 2004, but delivered a 2.8 percent of GDP. ROK Spending has now passed 1997 levels. The US position is that the ROK has the ability to increase its defense spending, but the ROK has not shown the will to do so. ROK "self-reliant" defense is delusional, but the ROK is maintaining the "free-ride" using the US High-tech warfare umbrella. Cursory look at why the ROK "Self-reliant" Defense is delusional. Though stated as reasons for Budget increase, the truth is that the E-X program will be sent out for bids in Nov 2004 and the SAM-X (Patriot) will NEVER be procured as long as President Roh is in office. The ROK is developing weapons programs that offer technology transfer or benefit industrial growth -- not necessarily what is essential to the defense programs. The ROK continues to be a thorn with its refusal to fund the Yongsan move and disputes over land use with the end result possibly being an explosion that destroys the US-ROK Alliance. (Posted: June 2004)
    
  • Dangerous Game the ROK is Playing (OPINION) -- Indepth look at the US Perspective on the evolving US-ROK alliance. Look into the r reasons for the ROK "Stall-and-Conquer" Negotiation strategy. Look at the growing American anti-Korean opinion; USFK and Department of Defense strategy; Head-on collision resulting in reduction in forces and pull-out of troops (Posted: June 2004)
    
    
• Korea Continues to March to Its Own Drummer -- Korea upgrades its military and seeks technology transfer. However, Korea aims to control its own destiny. Korea now has OFFENSIVE missile capability. Its indigenous-designed fighter-trainer is ready for production and the KDX-II "stealth" destroyer has been launched. German-designed submarines are rolling out of shipyards and KM1A1 Korean Main Battle Tank is being produced in Korea. The next-generation fighter has been selected as the F-15K. Whether unrealistic or not, President Roh is seeking "self-reliance" for South Korea's defense by 2010. (Updated: 4 Sept 2003)
  
  
• Military Affairs: North Korean Crisis: -- Equipment changes; Korea-wide Exercises; Force Positioning; Policy changes; North-South military dialogue. (Updated: Monthly)
  
  
  • Food for Thought: The Military Option in North Korea: -- Short comparison of a views on military parity: Korean versus U.S. view. (Posted: 26 April 2003)
    
  • Food for Thought: The Mythical North Korean Threat: -- An article building a case for U.S. withdrawal from Korea. (Posted: 20 June 2003)
  
  
  
• Spies, Espionage & Infiltrators: -- Personal Opinion on the Spy Situation in Kunsan. Covers the spy organizations and the abuses by Presidents from Syngman Rhee to Roh Moo-hyun. Covers cases of captured infiltrators and deep-cover spies discovered in recent years to back up conclusions. (Sources footnoted) Covers history of communism in Cholla Provinces; list of coastal infiltration with methods of infiltration and vehicles used. (Posted: 24 May 2004)
  

• Reviews of Books on Kunsan AB (Updated: 3 June 2003)
  
• Reference Sources/Links: -- Links to Pro-USFK/Anti-US sites and online Korean newspaper links. General, Military and USFK links. (Updated: 8 August 2003)

• Background
  
  • Subtopics -- Pro-American Demonstrations or really Anti-Sunshine Policy Demonstration? -- Anti-American Protests Waning? NO!!! -- Split in NGO Group Strategies and Shift to Pacifism -- America Responds -- Backlash of Anti-American Demonstrations -- Anti-American and the Generation Gap -- NGO Tactic to Boycott American Goods Backfires -- NGO-Initiated Polls Increasing and USFK Poll in response -- Roh wants to revise SOFA, but U.S. and MOJ Sees No Need -- Danger of Getting What they Want -- Considering the Improbable: What if the U.S. Leaves? -- OUR OPINION (Updated: 3 June 2003)
• Jan-Mar 2003
  
  • Iraq War & Korean Perspective of Iraq War (Mar-Apr 2003) -- Iraq and Korea DAILY events with emphasis on anti-War -- but in reality a continuation of the anti-American protests of 2002. President Roh tells nation that he is forced to send non-combatant troops to Iraq in order to protect the nation -- i.e., U.S. blackmailed him. Roh then rewrites the text of his speech for English publications. Coverage is a day-by-day chronology of events in Baghdad and Seoul. (Updated: 16 April 2003)
    
• Apr-Jun 2003
  
• Jul-Sep 2003
  
• Oct-Dec 2003
  
• Jan-Mar 2004
  
• Apr-Jun 2004
  

• North Korean Crisis Background and Reference Materials -- Background on events leading up to Nuclear Crisis; Materials from Selected Sources on Nuclear Crisis; OUR OPINION (Updated: 8 August 2003)
• For Your Information: North Korea-US Meeting: -- Special Report on Upcoming North Korea-China-US meeting and U.S./North Korean options with our comments. (Posted: 8 August 2003)

• Reformist Policy:
• Lack of Coordination within Government:
• Alienates Career Bureaucrats:
• Continuing Education Problems over NEIS:
• Attacks on the "Gangster" Press:
• Environmental Policy and Saemangeum Project:
• Nuclear Waste Dump Protest:
• Farmers Problems, Opening of the Rice Market and Surplus Rice:
• Chaebol and Business Reforms:
• Korea Under Attack for Dumping and Govt Subsidies:
• Korean Outlook Dims as Companies Leave Korea:
• Privatization Plans Put on a Hold:
• Financial Reform Turns into a Quagmire:
• Conciliatory Position to Union Strikes:
• 40-hour Work Week:
• Political Scandals:
• Political Harassment from GNP:
• Split-up of MDP:
• Autonomy: An Old Answer to New Problems -- Pass the Buck!:
• NIS and National Security Law:
• Exiled North Korean supporter, Song Du-yul, Returns:
• Peace and Prosperity Policy:
• Trusted U.S. Supporter during Iraq War?:
• NGO groups anti-Americanism and Opposition demonstrations:
• Roh Questions Removal of USFK:
• ROK-US Summit (May 14) Impacts:
• Can a Leopard Change its Spots?:
• Resurgence of Anti-Americanism:
• Resurgence of Anti-Japanese Protests:
• Radical Students Protest Roh:
• Roh's Falling Popularity starts in Third Month in Office:
• End of 2003: Roh's Leadership Vacuum:
• Roh Impeached: March 2004

Korean Protests:

JULY 2004:

Candlelight Vigils for Anti-Iraq Troop Deployment Tied to Beheading in June On July 3 about thousands of Koreans planned to join candlelight vigils across the country to mourn a Korean man killed in Iraq and demand the government withdraw its plan to dispatch troops to Iraq. In Seoul's central Gwanghwamun area, about 5,000 people were expected to take part in a rally set to begin at 7:00 p.m. local time. The vigil is to include a number of "cultural performances" to mourn the death of Kim Sun-il, the 33-year-old translator who was beheaded by a group of Muslim militants late last month. The rally's organizer also plans to issue 10 statements calling for the government to reverse its plan to send 3,000 troops to Iraq. Some 3,900 riot police were deployed in the area to prevent possible violent protests, the police said. Similar rallies were to be held in about 10 major cities, including Kim's hometown, Busan, as well as Daegu, Gwangju and Daejeon. (See Anti-Iraq Troop Dispatch tied to Beheading for details of June protest.)

On 3 Jul, it was raining throughout the peninsula and the expected numbers did not show up. The peninsula was on alert as Typhoon Mindulle approached. Basically the nationwide protest fizzled -- though OhMy News showed the faces of diehard protestors in raincoats with lit candles numbering perhaps in the hundreds instead of the thousands expected. The hospital workers union workers also joined in the protests -- the reciprocal support for the support received during their strike held earlier in June -- but their protests were mainly under the cover of building entrances.

On July 12, lawmakers from the GNP held a press conference at the National Assembly to call for a reassessment of the government's plan to dispatch additional troops to Iraq this year. The conservative opposition party has endorsed a plan to send 3,000 additional troops this year, to help reconstruction efforts. Outside the National Assembly Building, local anti-War NGO groups opposed to the dispatch of troops to Iraq held a protest rally on July 12. The protestors called on lawmakers to reconsider their position on sending 3,000 additional troops to Iraq this year. The Korean Teachers and Education Workers' Union (KTEWU) on 12 July that it will officially demand this week that the government withdraw its decision to send additional troops to Iraq. The KTEWU said it and its provincial chapters across the nation will simultaneously announce a statement opposing the troop deployment on 13 July. At the same time, President Roh reiterated that his government will not change the plan to send an additional 3,000 troops to Iraq despite the recent killing of a South Korean hostage there by Iraqi insurgents.

However, there is some changes in the anti-Iraq movement. A Chosun Ilbo survey ("Poll 54% of Koreans Approve Troop Dispatch" (5 July 2004)) found that more Koreans approve of the government's plan to send an additional 3,000 troops to Iraq, since the murder of South Korean translator Kim Sun-il by Islamic militants. The polling company Research & Research said yesterday that 54.3 percent of 800 adults supported the troop deployment, while 36.7 percent of those questioned wanted the government to scrap the plan. The result indicated the Korean national's death in Iraq affected the public sentiment, considering that a previous survey conducted in April showed 50.2 percent of respondents opposed sending Korean troops to the Middle East country, while only 41.4 percent was in favor of the plan, an official with the polling agency said. Figures also show more men were in favor of the dispatch and people in their 50s were more supportive to the move as opposed to those in their 20s. The survey's margin of error is plus or minus 3.46 percent.

As a side note, Chosun Ilbo on Jun 29 criticized the protests centered on a contractor who was in Iraq to make money while ceremonies on 29 Jun to honor the six sailors who lost their lives in defense of their country in June 2002 have received no attention. The USFK Commander sent a condolence message, but the Roh government and Joint Chiefs sent no representatives to the ceremony. The six sailors were killed in the West Sea battle, which was caused by North Korean patrol boats crossing over the Northern Limit Line and preemptively attacking a South Korean naval vessel.

One of the bereaved father’s decision (was) pitiable. The father said, “My son is buried in the National Cemetery. But I’m going to take my son’s remains to my family burial site in my hometown.” Having watched the situation develop, he thought his son who was killed by North Korean soldiers was considered nothing more than a criminal. Some parents said that they are more scared of people who consider the U.S. a bigger enemy than North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, who killed their son. We lose courage to defend the country, when we hear that a wife whose husband fell in the battle is preparing to leave this country. Reading a condolence letter from the USFK commander to mark the second anniversary, the wife said, "The Americans remember my husband and his brothers-in-arms better than Koreans... Frankly, I hate Korea."

Unions Join the Anti-Iraq Troop Deployment As was mentioned above, the Medical Workers Union joined in the anti-Iraq Troop deployment protests on 3 Jul in what appeared to be a reciprocal arrangement between the anti-War NGO groups and the union. However, there are other unions also supporting the Anti-Iraq Troop Deployment protests.

Chosun Ilbo, "Airline unions refuse to transport troops to Iraq" (June 24, 2004):

The labor unions of the nation’s two airliners, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, declared Thursday that they refuse to transport anything related to the troop dispatch to Iraq, including Korean soldiers to be stationed in Iraq along with armor and related equipment.

The Association of Airline Unions, founded by both the national airlines and the employees of Incheon International Airport and Kimpo Airport, said Thursday that in accordance with the policy of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, that they are against sending more troops to Iraq and will launch an all-out struggle against the deployment.

The association said, “Both Korean Air and Asiana Airlines should not sign contracts with the government to transport troops to Iraq... If they sign such contracts, the security of our union members cannot be guaranteed as they may become a target of terror during operation... Also, in order to show our rejection to a war of invasion, we will suspend all flights.”

In response to the unions, the two airlines pointed out, “We haven’t been asked by the government to transport troops to Iraq,” and “unconditionally rejecting something before even negotiations have begun is going too far.”

Despite the South Korean government’s repeated assurances that a pledged 3,000-troop deployment to Iraq is proceeding as planned, thousands of union workers are promising strikes to force its cancellation in reaction to a South Korean civilian’s beheading by terrorists.

The addition of 3,000 South Korean troops would make this country the third-largest foreign military presence in Iraq, behind the United States and Great Britain. Though the commitment was made months ago, the deployment’s timetable has been pushed back repeatedly amid assurances Seoul would not change its mind.

But now, South Korean politics are complicating the picture. This week, a leading ruling-party member suggested tying the troop deployment to getting a better deal on the Yongsan Garrison relocation issue.

That deal, under which the U.S. would vacate its military headquarters in Seoul by 2007, has been stalled over land issues and burden-sharing of the estimated $3 billion to $4 billion move costs.

Throw into the mix the widespread public outrage over the death of Kim Sun-il, 33, an interpreter working for a South Korean contractor in Iraq, and the troop deployment issue becomes clouded again.

On Tuesday, thousands of Korea Confederation of Trade Unions [KCTU] members rallied in downtown Seoul, demanding the dispatch be dropped.

“We have been opposed to the troop dispatch plan as we had anticipated there would be South Koreans victims like Kim Sun-il,” said the group’s head, Lee See-ho, at the rally. The group also gave the U.S. Embassy in Seoul a letter of protest, calling on President Bush to apologize for what the union alleged was a “U.S. cover-up” of Kim’s kidnapping to ensure the troop dispatch happened as scheduled in July.

In what South Korean media described as “annual strikes,” some 87,000 union workers walked off the job this week, ostensibly to demand wage hikes and better working conditions. But union statements and media reports indicated the troop dispatch is as much an issue as the economic concerns.

South Korean government officials reacted swiftly, with Labor Minister Kim Dae-hwan warning the unions not to mix labor issues with political issues.

The Korea Teachers’ Union also got into the act, designating June 28 to July 3 as a period to teach “anti-war” materials in their classrooms.

The Education Ministry wrote the teachers union saying those who taught from the anti-war curriculum posted on the union’s Web site Monday would face “legal measures.”

While teachers’ union officials said the curriculum was drawn from newspaper articles and other reports about the war in Iraq, Education Ministry officials said it was drawn largely from anti-American and anti-troop dispatches from civic groups.

In response, the union wrote the ministry, saying in part, “The purpose of anti-war classes is to teach the importance of peace and life. For now, we do not plan to change the materials but we will consider adding some materials.”

Extradition of Korean-American??? No Bail for Ex-Official Sought by South Korea According to the LA Times on 2 July, U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul L. Abrams on Thursday refused to set bail for Kyung Joon Kim, a former Los Angeles city commissioner awaiting proceedings to determine whether he should be extradited to South Korea for allegedly embezzling more than $30 million there.

Attorneys for Kim had asked the judge to release the Beverly Hills resident under "special circumstances" because of a long-standing back problem, but Abrams said he found no reason to release him. Kim, 38, also known as Christopher Kim, was arrested a month ago. He is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center.

Anti-Japanese Campaign Again In the newspapers there is a lot of garbage about how the Japanese love the Korea music stars and TV, but at the same time they condemn the colonial Japanese (and somehow make the linkage to modern Japanese) in spreading their anti-Japanese agenda. The most recent comedy was the Chosun Ilbo displaying a photo of a Japanese scholar posing for photographs in the 1930s with Koreans playing traditional "shamanistic" games (i.e., kut) -- and because a policeman dressed in his formal uniform with sword was shone, the conclusion was the Korean was "forced" to pose.

As part of this anti-Japanese campaign, they have resurrected the Japanese Sympathizer Bill. On 4 July, Yonhap News stated "South Korea's ruling party said Sunday it will submit a revision to the law on "Japanese collaborators" to the National Assembly this week. The act, which passed the unicameral legislature in March, is aimed at identifying Koreans who sympathized with Japanese authorities during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula."

The last time the anti-Japanese fever hit in the 1990s, the Koreans tore down the then National Museum because it was an "eyesore" reminder of the Japanese. They were on a search for iron spikes supposedly driven into the ground to sap away the ROK mystical energy at key sites.

Korean War Death Claims Against US AGAIN!!! According to the Yonhap News, a South Korean civic organization on 5 July 2004 urged the US and South Korea to investigate alleged deaths of South Korean civilians during the Korean War. The group, which calls itself the Truth Commission on Civilian Massacres in the Korean War and consists of victims' families, civic activists and historians, also urged the South Korean government to establish legislation that would provide legal grounds for such investigations.

The family members and residents here allege that a large number of South Korean civilians were killed by the U.S. military on Sept. 1, 1950 when U.S. naval ships opened fire on a group of South Koreans gathered at a refugee camp in Pohang, a port city on South Korea's southeastern coast. Families of South Korean civilians believed to have been massacred by the U.S. military during the Korean War urged their government Tuesday to establish legislation that would enable an investigation into the incident.

The problem with the above is that the alleged refugee camp was in DPRK-held territory in Sep 1950. The Pusan Perimeter was established on 1 Aug 1950. The Pohang was evacuated and 58 refugee camps were established in July-August 1950. The people were loaded onto anything that could float and pulled out of Pohang. The ROK Army that was fighting a delaying action were evacuated by sea from positions north of Pohang on Aug 16-17 and relocated below Pohang. (See 8th FBW: Hobo Squadron for eye-witness accounts of Pohang.)

Presidential Panel to recommend Seoul return N.K. spies According to the Korea Herald on 6 July, the Presidential Truth Commission on Suspicious Deaths said it would ask President Roh Moo-hyun to send back communist North Koreans, who were allegedly forced to convert to South Korean ideologies during the military regimes of the 1970s and 80s. This comes after the commission stirred up a fire storm earlier with its decision to recognize several former North Korean spies as democratic figures who died while in prison here in the 1970s. The commission, established in 2000, is in charge of investigations into questionable deaths of activists and others involved in democratization movements during the military regimes of the 1970s and the 80s. A special division of the commission had been looking into deaths of former North Korean spies who were imprisoned in the South.

According to the commission, there are former North Korean spies in the South who argue they were tortured and forced to convert their ideologies. It said those who wish to go back to the North should be allowed to return. There are about 28 North Koreans in South Korean prisons who still wish to go back to their homes, according to a South Korean civic organization for the repatriation of North Korean dissidents. These die-hard communists signed documents renouncing communism that allowed them to be released from prison. However, by renouncing communism they were not considered eligible for repatriation to North Korea.

The Seoul government had sent back 63 former North Korean long-term prisoners in Sept. 2000 as part of an agreement made between former President Kim Dae-jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il during their historical summit in June of that year. The South Korean government had said it was the last repatriation as there were no more North Koreans who remained unconverted in the South.

The commission's recommendation is to be written in the report that will also comprise its decision to acknowledge three North Korean dissidents as democratic figures, who allegedly died after refusing the military regime's threats to convert to South Korean ideology. The report is to be submitted to the president by the end of this July.

Then on 15 July the controversial Truth Commission was accused of hiring three communists and ex-spies. Immediately conservative civic groups scuffled with police to demand the dissolution of the Presidential Truth Commission On Suspicious Deaths. According to the Chosun Ilbo, the "Presidential Truth Commission On Suspicious Deaths investigator K, who spent four year in prison for spying, called nine military commanders over the rank of battalion commander -- including a former defense minister -- for investigation. He also sent demands that Defense Security Command Commanding General Song Young-keun attend hearings on five occasions. H, another investigator who spent eight years in prison for being a member of the South Korean Socialists' Labor Union, was involved in investigating the Private Heo Won-geun death, and directly investigated 1st ROK Army Commander Jeong Su-seong."

The article went on, "Investigator K spent four years in prison on charges of being recruited by a North Korean spy in Japan and conducting espionage activities like turning over military secrets gathered in the South to North Korea in return for 600,000 yen. He was released from prison in 1997, when his sentence expired. Soon after he was released, he was pardoned and rehabilitated by Kim Dae-jung in 1998, and joined the truth commission last July. He was charged with investigating the Choe On-sun death, which occurred in the military in 1983. According the commission materials, K demanded the attendance of 11 commanders over the rank of battalion commander, and nine were subpoenaed. These included former Defense Minister Lee Jun, former operational commander of the Joint Chiefs Yeo Un-geon and former lawmaker Pak Se-hwan. For that incident, K investigated 35 serving and reservist soldiers. In particular, K sent attendance requests to Defense Security Command commander Song five times between March 9 and May 25; he stopped doing so in accordance with official protests from DSC. A Defense Ministry official said that K's request included threats to bring the military officials in forcefully if they didn't accede to questioning.

As for the other communist, "H, who investigated the Private Heo case, was imprisoned for eight years from 1990 on charges of having served as the liaison officer of the South Korean Socialists' Labor Union. He was released when his term finished. In 2000, he was pardoned and rehabilitated, immediately after which he joined the truth commission as a civilian (non-official) investigator. The Private Heo investigation team has investigated about 20 military officials up till now, including 1st ROK Army commander Jeong. Jeong has served as the head of the Defense Ministry's special investigation team created in 2002 to discover the facts behind Heo's death."

Anti-Iraq Troop Dispatch (10 July) Yonhap News reported, "Hundreds of South Koreans held rallies in central Seoul Saturday evening, calling on the South Korean government to withdraw its plan to contribute more troops to the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq. The participants in the rally, organized jointly by 365 civic groups, marched into a main street, but there was clash with riot police."

The protests continued on 12 July and 15 July in front of the National Assembly. The low turnout was blamed on scuffles with riot police, but it appeared from photos that the torrential rains was what actually had hampered the turnout. On 16 July a group of lawmakers from both sides demanded an apology from President Bush for starting the Iraq War on faulty evidence in another nonsense move playing to the public.

An al-Qaida-linked terrorist group has threatened to attack South Korean vessels if they ship goods to U.S. forces in Iraq, South Korean media said Friday, The terrorist group posted an article on an Islamic Internet site, naming nine shipping firms and warning that if they ship goods to the U.S. troops, they will be blown up, the Hankook Ilbo newspaper and MBC television said, quoting unidentified intelligence officials. The nine companies include one large South Korean shipping firm, the media outlets said.

Interestingly, first Muslim cemetary established in Korea reported on 10 July. The 1,100-pyeong (3,630-square-meter) burial ground has been completed at the Jindalrae public cemetery in Chungju, some 147 kim southeast of Seoul, officials at the Korea Muslim Federation said.

AUGUST 2004:

Protests at Pyongtaek Increase On 8 Aug hundreds of protestors supporting the farmers claims to their lands protested claiming they would not give "one pyeong" to the military at Camp Humphries (K-6). The anti-American theme was fostered by the Unification NGO activist group easily identified by their blue Korea tshirts. Activists chanted "America Go Home" and other anti-American chants as is common in these rallies. The protest comes on the eve of the signing of an agreement to relocate the Yongsan Garrison and the USFK wants half of the land committed transferred in 2004. The MND has waffled hinting that it is impossible and also uses these protests as justification.

Pyongtaek Protest (8 Aug 04)

Tied to these protests, hundreds of university students and activists held a demonstration in Daejeon on 7 Aug condemining the government for sending additional troops to Iraq. More than 400 students and 30 civic activists marched through the city after holding a rally at Daejeon Railroad Station. Similar protests were held in Kwangju as well. These are led by the anti-War NGO activist groups.

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Aug 15 Liberation Day Protest On 13 Aug, protests in Seoul over the Reunification movement resulted in scuffles with riot police that ended in some injuries. The Reunification Solidarity, a coalition of activist groups which are considered pro-North Korean, vowed to stage street demonstrations in Seoul on 14 and 15 Aug. The government deployed thousands of police in Seoul in a massive show of force against two days of planned pro-unification street demonstrations by leftist activists.

On 15 Aug, the Yonhap News Agency reported that a large number of people held various antiwar and pro-unification rallies in Seoul to mark the country's independence from Japan. The national police said that up to 10,000 people gathered at Yonsei University to call for the fulfillment of the June 15, 2000 joint communique from the summit of the Koreas' leaders, as well as for establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Yonsei University (15 Aug 04)

What the Korean newspapers did not mention was that the Unification group of thousands then marched to the center of Seoul and met with riot police which used water cannons to prevent the groups radical elements from storming their barricade. Included in the rallies were the anti-American elements with the symbolic American flags depicted with death symbols. The obligatory shredding of the symbolic American flag is the perennial crowd pleaser -- in lieu of burning the flag which may have caused difficulties because of "fire codes" making it illegal and thus inviting riot politce action. Thus anti-Americanism was not blatant, but certainly present. This is what the ROK did not want to present to the world.

The Associated Press, "Thousands in Korea Protest Planned Deployment of More Troops to Iraq", (2004-08-15) reported that hundreds of protesters clashed with police Sunday near the US Embassy in Seoul during a demonstration against the country's plans to send more troops to Iraq. "We are against war! We are against America!" the demonstrators chanted, ripping up a large replica of a US flag before attempting to charge through police blockades. Officers in riot gear sprayed water at the demonstrators, who jabbed back with flag poles. Those clashing with police were among about 5,000 demonstrators who converged on a street in the center of the ROK capital to urge President Roh Moo-hyun to abandon the troop deployment. The Voice of America also ran a small article on this protest but was cautious about noting the anti-Americanism involved.

Pyongtaek Protest (8 Aug 04)

However, the Unification groups also sponsored other rallies of a more peaceful nature throughout the country with light shows and entertainment. However, the underlying theme remained that Korea wanted to reunite -- and the only nation preventing it was the US. This has been the underlying theme of the movement for years...but toned down as the US is now reducing its forces causing many Koreans to become uncomfortable with the stance. The NGO groups believed their own propaganda that the US would never leave Korea -- but the 2d Bde 2d ID pulled out 3,600 already and the total by 2005 will be 12,000.

National Assembly Building (15 Aug 04)

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SEPTEMBER 2004:

September proved to be a month where protests centered around the farmers demands for restricting the opening of the rice market under the WTO agreement as the ROK ten year moratorium on rice imports lapsed. There were no large scale demonstrations though the farmers demonstrations early in the month were extremely vocal and at times violent. There were intermittent protests over the move to Pyongtaek by the farmers there but no growing support. The ROK finally relocated their long-promised troops to Iraq which eliminated the protests -- though the NGO groups were awaiting its first ROK death to raise the hackles of war again. The NGO groups were pushing for the removal of the National Security Law and attempted to raise this issue to the forefront. In response, conservative elements called for the retention of the NSL though admitting that it needed to be modified in some respects. There was growing discontent on the part of Conservatives over the "leftist" shift of the ROK government -- and growing fear of the removal of US troops after the ROK started to backpedal on its defense upgrades as the North Korean issues saps more and more of its resources (i.e., Kaesong Industrial area, railroad connections, food aid, defector relocation programs, etc.). All in all, September was a relatively quiet month with only small protests.

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Go to Kunsan AB Protests: January-May 2004 . Go to Kunsan AB Protests: April-June 2004 . Go to Kunsan AB Protests: July-September 2004 . Go to Kunsan AB Protests: July-September 2004 .

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