Hundreds of activists held a rally at Seoul Station Square to commemorate the May-June protests last year.
Participants condemned the Lee Myung-bak administration for [what] they call human rights abuses and policies deepening the economic malaise of poor people.
The clashes occurred when protestors started marching toward Gwanghwamun, stopping traffic and causing chaos in Downtown Seoul. Two were arrested by the police.
The conflict further escalated as the demonstrators reached Seoul City Hall, where the opening ceremony of the Hi Seoul Festival was being held. Tourists from around the world were frightened by the violent demonstrations.
As participants occupied the festival stage, protesting the police blockade in the area, the police called off all the ceremonies and sent Korean home and tourists to their hotels.
Amid the process, 69 more protestors were taken to nearby police stations and another 41 were taken while continuing the protest late in the night.
In total, 112 were detained at 10 different police stations.
There are all kinds of galleries up on the Chosun Ilbo site. I've reposted a few photographs---taken from here, here, here, and here---below:
Here's one of some foreigners capturing the moment.
You can question the good sense of doing that---more importantly of having yourself photographed doing that---but to be fair they did come down to see a festival when a riot broke out.
Kelsey from Living Life Frame by Frame was in Seoul, and took two videos from the middle of the rallies. Here's one, and below is another:
If you weren't around last summer to witness the remarkable display, I'd encourage you to read through the posts in my "Mad Bull Shit" category. Here are a few of note: beef protests dominate the May 18th anniversary in Gwangju; mothers wheel their strollers to the frontlines of the protests; a video of protestors attacking police with shovels and poles; candlelight rallies were held all over Jeollanam-do; and I really can't look through those old posts anymore without getting cranky, so just browse them yourself. The protests became more than simply about beef, but it's worth pointing out that they got started when a news program basically made up a bunch of stuff about the dangers of American beef (and they've since been arrested, so I guess that's one way to
14 comments:
Notice that it's the protesters throwing shit and clubbing the cops, and not vice versa.
Without the skirts of middle-school girls to hide behind, their true colors come shining through.
Korea, sparkling! or is it Dynamic Korea!
So . . . it's starting again? And only days ago, I was informed by Netizen Kim over at the Marmot's Hole that my Mad Cow joke was passé.
Admittedly, it wasn't much of a joke, but passé? Apparently not.
Jeffery Hodges
* * *
From the KH:
Tourists from around the world were frightened by the violent demonstrations.
These people have few supporters among the general public, and by doing this in front of what is supposed to be (a) a happy celebration and (b) in front of — gasp! — foreign visitors and guests, they have lost most of what little sympathy they'd had from the general public. Both (a) and (b) represent losses of face, while (b) is an egregious violation of the don't-air-dirty-laundry rule.
Bad, bad, bad move pro-Pyongyang, anti-Seoul, anti-corporate, anti-US, anti-Japan chinbo groups.
I'll be putting up more photos and footage this evening, when I once again have access to a stable internet connection.
A better protest would be to convince the public to stop buying US Beef.
I just wish that they would start setting themselves on fire again.
You only see the protesters throwing stuff at the cops because these pictures are from Chosun Ilbo. They will not print/post any thing wrong/bad/illegal that the cops do.
Unless you're at the actual scene, I don't think you can make a judgement call as to what's really going on.
It's a fact that Chosun, Joongang, and Donga are conservative dailies and will side with 2MB on most all issues.
I had to post this because I wholeheartedly disagree with this blogger's assessment that last year's candlelight vigils were ridiculous.
Simon,
How were the protests last year not ridiculous, propaganda-driven, hysteria-filled, gullibility fests?
I was in Seoul all weekend, traveling through Hong dae, Sinchon, Insadong, Gangnam and Seoul station twice. I didn't see a single protestor but lots and lots of police in full riot gear.
I missed all the action.
"Unless you're at the actual scene, I don't think you can make a judgement call as to what's really going on."
Dude, they hijacked the stage at the Hi Seoul Festival and forced the organizers to completely cancel the event.
Jeez.
I was there right in front (I was actually up on the stage as well at one point, to get a good vantage point for photos and got smacked by riot shields several times, believe me), and I was quite impressed by how professional the cops were. I've been at protests in the US and the cops are always yelling, hitting, etc. The Seoul riot forces were mostly quiet and obedient. I did see a cop kick one guy in the nads, but the other guy had slugged the cop, so it was kind of warranted, and the cop was immediately taken to the back.
We've got a lot of photos and video footage at our site here: www.jetsetzero.tv
Let me know if you're interested in guest blogging.
I was literally standing arms length from the spot where scuffles started in Seoul plaza. We were having fun when they came in with the intent to disrupt things in a violent way. After pushing the organizer around, they attacked him. One guy even stabbed his umbrella point at him. Before that they were already throwing things on to the stage.
When the police came in they were very quick to point out how North Korean the police were. So you are saying in North Korea the police do the job they are expected to do for public safety sake?
I saw a policeman bleeding. I did not see one of those idiot men who started everything bleed. It is interesting how they believe in their cause so much that they need booze to work up.
As far as people being sent home, well, we did not get the nice photos because we were sent home. Just lok at the girl taking the photo of herself.
One last thing, considering there were more police than actual festival goers, where were they when these people with huge flags, banners and masks came on to the plaza?
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