hankyoreh

Fifty one people who participated in an overnight, sit-in candlelight vigil held to protest U.S. beef imports on May 24-25 were taken into custody after the protest. This is the first time policemen have cracked down on candlelight rallies since they began on May 2. The prosecution and police announced a plan to punish the demonstrators at a joint meeting with the related institutions, including the National Intelligence Service, arousing a strong reaction from civic organizations and netizens.

After the protest, Guk Min-su, an official of the Seoul Central District Court, said, “Those that were taken to the police station had occupied the roads and waged an illegal demonstration,” adding that they would be punished strictly according to the law following an investigation.

The police action incited strong reactions from civic groups, including the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, which said, “We will never accept the government’s provocation or suppression of candlelight events.”

On the Internet, netizens have continued to post stories denouncing the police crackdown on candlelight rallies.

About 14,000 citizens and students took part in the sit-in candlelight vigil, which started at Seoul Plaza in the evening of May 24. Members of the KCTU and the Korean Teachers and Education Workers’ Union joined the rally.

After the rally, about 5,000 protesters occupied the roads in the process of attempting to march toward Cheong Wa Dae, or the Blue House, and police forces confronted them. At dawn on May 25, policemen took 37 demonstrators, out of more than 200, to four police stations for investigation. An additional 14 people were taken into custody on the following day.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]