Religious and conservative groups turn against gov’t to protest U.S. beef

Posted on : 2008-06-05 12:19 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Groups once loyal to gov’t are now critical and call for renegotiation of beef agreement
 student groups and political parties hold a conference to call for renegotiation of the U.S. beef import agreement at Seoul City Hall Plaza on June 4. The groups are organizing a 72-hour protest that will be held June 5-7 under the title “Day of National Joint Action.”
student groups and political parties hold a conference to call for renegotiation of the U.S. beef import agreement at Seoul City Hall Plaza on June 4. The groups are organizing a 72-hour protest that will be held June 5-7 under the title “Day of National Joint Action.”

South Korea’s conservative and religious organizations have begun to join public protests against the government’s decision to resume imports of U.S. beef.

As of around 6:30 p.m. on June 3, a small-scale candlelight rally was held in front of Deoksu Palace, which is near Seoul City Hall Plaza, prior to a mass demonstration organized by the People’s Countermeasure Council against the Full Resumption of Imports of U.S. Beef Endangered with Mad Cow Disease, an umbrella organization of civic groups. The rally was organized by the group Parksamo, a group of people who support Park Geun-hye, the former chairwoman of the ruling Grand National Party. At the rally, some 50 Parksamo members could be heard chanting the word “renegotiation.”

Jeong Gwang-yong, Parksamo’s director, said, “When it comes to the food issue, there should be neither conservative nor progressive. Some conservative media are printing misleading information on the issue about a conspiracy theory involving a behind-the-scenes influence. We came out to show that the idea of calling for renegotiation of the beef agreement is an opinion held by everyone, not just certain left-wing groups.” Parksamo members voluntarily dispersed after the one-hour rally and some participated in the mass demonstration organized by the umbrella organization of civic groups.

Other conservative groups have also issued statements accusing the government of handling the beef issue poorly and calling for renegotiations with the United States of the agreement, made in April, which allows resumption of imports of U.S. beef.

In a statement, the Christian Council of Korea, one of the nation’s leading conservative Christian groups, said, “Through renegotiation with the U.S., we hope (the government) will defuse public concerns and distrust and reunite public opinion.”

Choi Hee-beom, a senior CCK official, said, “The only solution for putting out the candles is for the government to seriously begin renegotiations. I hope President Lee Myung-bak, who is losing public support for his one-sided politics, will listen to the voices of the majority of people.”

In a resolution released on the same day, the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, which is generally in line with the ruling GNP on policy matters, called on the government to release protesters who have been detained without further conditions and punish the police officers who were responsible for the violent crackdowns on demonstrations in recent days. In addition, the FKTU demanded the government scrap all controversial policies, create a body for social discussion, stabilize the economy for low-income earners and map out measures to curb inflation.

“With some claiming that the president should resign, this is a critical situation for the survival of regime and the people,” the FKTU resolution said. The FKTU said it would “take systematic action if its demands aren’t accepted,” accusing the government of fueling public distrust after filling the positions for Cabinet ministers and Blue House staff with wealthy people. It also criticized the government for trying to privatize public companies and bungling education policy.

In a statement on June 4, the Council for an Advanced Republic of Korea called on the government to conduct large-scale, administrative reforms, saying, “Amid a series of unstable decisions in the national administration, the president’s supporters seem to have turned against him.”

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

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