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S. Koreans rally to protest US deal
Sun, 11 Nov 2007 14:57:31
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Thousands of South Korean demonstrators have taken to the streets in protest at a trade agreement between their country and the US.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in Seoul on Nov. 11 to protest the recently reached free trade agreement between South Korea and the United States and to demand better working conditions for irregular employees. The massive rally, which police called illegal, caused severe traffic congestion in the center of the capital city throughout the day.
The angry farmers and workers took to the streets of the capital, demanding that a free trade agreement between their country and the United States be scrapped, AP television reported on Sunday.
"We will block the FTA ratification because the US-Korea FTA would deepen the polarization of South Korea," said Woo Moon-sook, a spokeswoman for the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, one of organizers of the rally near Seoul City Hall.
The protesters occupied the 16-lane road and chanted slogans against the free trade deal but no major clashes with riot police were reported.
Organizers claimed some 50,000 people participated in the protest, while police estimated there were 20,000 demonstrators.
Seoul and Washington forged their deal in April, concluding months of tough negotiations to lower or eliminate tariffs and other trade barriers on a wide range of industries and services. The two sides signed the accord in June but it must be endorsed by legislatures in both capitals before it goes into effect.
The deal is the largest for the US since the North American Free Trade Agreement more than a decade ago, and the largest ever for South Korea.
MSM/BGH
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