» Members of the Catholic Priests’ Association for Justice arrive at Seoul City Hall Plaza to conduct a mass on June 30. The group also called on the Lee Myung-bak government to repent for its actions, which recall those of the authoritarian governments of the 70s and 80s.

Nearly four months after President Lee Myung-bak was sworn into office, the country seems to be going back in time. Aside from government-led efforts to quell the public’s anger about the resumption of U.S. beef imports, the relationship between the public and the government is heading toward a state of extreme confrontation. With the backing of some conservative groups, the government is taking a harder line to overcome the situation, instead of communicating with the people. Law enforcement authorities, including the prosecution and police, are conducting their own campaign against the candlelight demonstrations by mobilizing their forces.

At 6:00 a.m. on June 30, police investigators raided the offices of the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy and the office of the Solidarity for Korean Progress. This is the first time that PSPD, which became the country’s most influential civic organization after it was established in 1994, was searched.

On the same day, Prosecutor-General Lim Chai-jin ordered senior prosecutors in the public safety and criminal investigation departments to form a complete countermeasure system saying, “It’s time to put an end to the illegal and radical violence of this fiasco.”

The prosecution also said it will deal sternly with a general strike being coordinated by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, calling the industrial action an “illegal political strike.” KCTU is demanding a renegotiation of the beef deal.

In this time of crisis, the government seems to be reverting to its old behavior, highlighting slow economic growth, possible disruption in exports and public discomfort in its public comments.

In another twist, the ruling Grand National Party said, “Because of the violent protests, inflation has shot up and low-income people are having a hard time financially.”

Meanwhile, the prosecution seems to be looking at the People’s Countermeasure Council Against Mad Cow Disease, an alliance of some 1,700 civic groups that has led the candlelight protests, in the same light as the prosecution of the 1980s. Back then, prosecutors cracked down on the pro-democracy movement while labeling protesters as pro-communist agitators.

In the arrest warrant for Ahn Jin-geol, a senior activist with the People’s Countermeasure Council, the prosecution describes the organization as a “temporary alliance formed to lead illegal protests and the impeachment of, and slander against, the president and the government under the pretext of holding a candlelit cultural performance.” [Editor’s note: The Korean press has alternatively referred to the candlelight protests as “festivals” or “cultural events.”]

The only thing that seems to be distinguishing the prosecution from the anti-communist prosecutors of the 80s is its attempt to expand its scope of control to the Internet. As a statement from the prosecutor-general said, “Illegal and violent acts won’t be tolerated in cyberspace, either.”

Even though some 400 protesters were injured over the weekend because of the violent crackdown by police, the police have not yet issued an apology. Instead, the Ministry of Justice and four other government ministries issued a statement on June 29 saying that it would use tear gas, which was frequently used during the pro-democracy demonstrations of the 80s but hasn’t been seen since.

While the government gets tougher on protesters, some analysts say the bigger problem is that there is no force that can arbitrate the situation. And the government shows no sign of reshaping its course. Sungkonghoe University Professor Jeong Hae-gu said, “Korean democracy has already passed the stage in which difficult situations can be resolved by arresting a few people. If the government thinks the current situation can be eased by increasing public security measures, it’s a mistake.”

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