hankyoreh

“Meet at Seoul City Hall Plaza on June 10” for a candlelight protest march that is expected to draw one million people

A one million person candlelight march in protest against the resumption of U.S. beef imports will be held in Seoul, Busan, Gwangju, Daegu, and other cities nationwide on June 10. The march is being organized by the People’s Countermeasure Council against the Full Resumption of Imports of U.S. Beef Endangered with Mad Cow Disease, which has been active in organizing other protests since the beef import agreement was signed in April.

With protests having escalating in tone and number for over a month, and with such a large number of people expected at the June 10 event, police are on high alert. Clashes are expected between the marchers and a number of conservative groups that are planning to hold counter-demonstrations on the same day and in the same location as the one million person march.

The march is being held on the 21st anniversary of what is known as the June Struggle of 1987, which was a turning point in South Korea’s democracy movement.

The People’s Countermeasure Council said, “The one million person candlelight march is like the June Struggle of 1987. If the government will not take proper action against U.S. beef imports, the level of resistance will increase.” The council also issued a set of possible actions that can be taken to support the march, such as having people in cars honk their horns at noon and 6 p.m. on the day of the march.

The members of the Hyundai Motor Company labor union will participate by refusing to work overtime on the day of the march.

Meanwhile, police have requested arrest warrants for three citizens who wielded iron pipes during a demonstration on June 8. This was the first time police requested arrest warrants since the candlelight protests began on May 2.

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