Continued Protests in Korea

The International Herald Times reported yesterday (Sunday) that hundreds were injured in beef protests that have persisted since the government lifted a ban on American beef. The IHT notes that the protest was the largest one since one of June 10 that brought together 100,000 people.

"Dozens of police buses lined boulevards in central Seoul and thousands of riot police officers were dispatched as protesters began rallying Saturday evening despite the government warning.

Clashes erupted late Saturday and continued into Sunday when thousands of protesters tried to march on Lee's office. The police stopped them with barricades built with police buses.

Protesters tied ropes to the buses and pulled at them. The police fired water cannon and sprayed fire extinguishers. The demonstrators hurled rocks and swung steel pipes while the police beat them back with plastic shields. People hooked hoses to fire hydrants to make their own water cannon."

I found this interesting because during my time in Korea, our guides said the protests had been dwindling. They said that though people were still protesting, the numbers have been getting smaller and smaller since the large protest on June 10. The reason for yesterday's abnormally large protest seems to be the Korean government's insistence on moving forward with serving American beef to citizens who are scared of mad-cow disease.

I thought it's particularly worth noting that South Koreans seem to care more about their country's relationship with the US than with their northern counterpart's submission of its nuclear program and the destruction of a nuclear facility. While the West seems to praise progress with North Korea, South Korea seems to be lamenting the new direction its relationship with the US is taking.