[Analysis] Do candlelight protests hint at anti-American sentiments?

Posted on : 2008-06-24 13:30 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Current expressions of anti-American sentiment differ greatly in form and function from those of the past
 an Internet community for cuisine demonstrate against what they see as distorted coverage of the candlelight protests in the Chosun Ilbo in front of the Koreana Hotel in Seoul on June 22. The sign attached to the baby carriage says
an Internet community for cuisine demonstrate against what they see as distorted coverage of the candlelight protests in the Chosun Ilbo in front of the Koreana Hotel in Seoul on June 22. The sign attached to the baby carriage says

Is there an anti-U.S. sentiment in the candlelight demonstrations? Yes, and no. Compared with the anti-U.S. sentiments found in protests of the past, there are significant differences in terms of function and appearance in the anti-American sentiment present at these protests.

In the past, the country’s anti-American sentiment was based on ideology. Protesters demanded a withdrawal of U.S. forces from South Korea and opposed U.S.-led strategic initiatives. The anti-American sentiment evident in the current candlelight protests, however, is focused on livelihood concerns. People are complaining that the United States has forced South Korea to buy its beef and say that the South Korean government was too responsive to U.S. demands.

At a recent demonstration, a housewife pushing a stroller said, “I hate the U.S. for threatening the life of my child.” Teenage girls in school uniforms shouted, “Mad meat, you eat it.” Chants heard at protests past, such as “Yankee go home” or “Withdraw U.S. forces from South Korea,” are not being heard this time around.

Wu Seok-hoon, a researcher with the Financial Economy Institute, said, “The anti-American sentiment at the candlelight protests is very practical and selective because it separates the issues one by one.”

So far, the People’s Countermeasure Council against Mad Cow Disease, a coalition of civic groups that has organized the bulk of the candlelight demonstrations, has been put on high alert to guard against the style of anti-U.S. protests from decades past, given that conservatives have tried to label the candlelight protests as strictly anti-American.

As a result, a memorial ceremony commemorating the sixth anniversary of the deaths of two school girls, Shim Mi-sun and Shin Hyo-son, who were crushed by a U.S. military vehicle on June 13, 2002, was held in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, where the accident occurred. A separate event marking the eighth anniversary of the June 15 South-North Joint Declaration was held in Jonggak, downtown Seoul.

In a June 23 article, the Chosun Ilbo, which has pointed out that the organizations driving the candlelight demonstrations have displayed anti-U.S., pro-North Korea sentiments, made no comment about the appearance of pro-North Korea, anti-American sentiments in the candlelight demonstrations.

Kim Jong-il, a co-leader of the Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea, a civic group that has protested against the expansion of a U.S. military base into Pyeongtaek, said, “As far as we are concerned, the candlelight protests have been a bit sluggish.”

Hong Seong-tae, a sociology professor at Sangji University, said, “The anti-American sentiment, voluntarily created by citizens, helps South Korea increase its negotiating power in its relations with the U.S.”

In fact, Trade Minister Kim Jong-hoon said, “Whenever the negotiations were at risk of failing, I produced a picture of the candlelight demonstrations.”

In a self-congratulatory statement, the government gave itself 90 points out of 100 to its handling of the additional round of negotiations with the United States that resulted in new sanitary rules for beef imports.

In the end, the anger sparked by the candles, rather than appearing as a flash in the pan with the South Korean government kowtowing to the United States, has enabled the country to revise some of the terms of the deal.

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

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