ID :
37257
Thu, 12/25/2008 - 07:14
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/37257
The shortlink copeid
Candlelight rallies put the heat on Lee By Kim Hyun
SEOUL, Dec. 24 (Yonhap) -- Early in 2008, South Korea was in mourning. The nation was struck by the loss of Sungnyemun, an ancient gate that had stood for more than six centuries but crumbled in flames one February night after falling victim to arson.
On the street, word quickly spread that it was a bad omen for the
incoming Lee Myung-bak administration.
Indeed, Lee's first year in office has been far from the honeymoon most new
leaders here have enjoyed. His pro-business, pro-U.S. agenda -- which had helped
him win the election in the first place -- ultimately backfired.
Following a hasty decision by Lee to lift a ban on U.S. beef imports in April,
Korea erupted in protests, the likes of which had not been seen in 20 years. At
night, Seoul's streets filled with demonstrators holding candles who, citing
public health concerns, demanded that the beef agreement be renegotiated.
The rallies went on for months, turning increasingly angry and anti-government.
Police fired water cannons at protesters for the first time in a decade, and
Lee's approval ratings dipped to a record low.
By the end of summer, the candlelight movement had waned to a dim glow, but many
experts still doubt that peace is on the horizon.
"Those who held the candles took to the streets because they believed the
president they elected will listen to them," said Chun Sang-jin, a sociology
professor at Sogang University.
"The government listened to them, but took few actions, believing the candlelight
vigils would subside after some time. But I'm still wondering -- have the candles
perished? Will they not emerge again if there is another trigger?"
The initial April agreement between Washington and Seoul allowed imports of U.S.
beef from cattle of all ages, banning only specified risk materials -- tongues,
brains, part of the intestines and vertebrae marrow that are known to have the
greatest risk of transmitting mad cow disease to humans. The U.S. had
persistently pressed Seoul to reopen its beef market in full, linking it to
congressional support for a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA).
The deal was hugely unpopular. Tens of thousands of citizens took to the streets
almost daily over the span of 100 days, joined by unlikely crowds -- mothers
pushing prams, fathers with children on their shoulders and teenage students
marching in school uniforms.
The candlelight movement set a high water-mark in the history of street
demonstrations in Korea. Following the Seoul-Washington beef deal, police
estimate 932,680 people participated in protests until they ended on Aug. 15.
Organizers put the number at 3 million.
Unlike typical rallies organized by college students or unionized workers, the
candlelight movement was initiated by teenage students who feared the cheap U.S.
beef would mostly end up in their school meals. Their parents followed suit, and
the nocturnal rallies fast expanded to salaried workers, unionized laborers,
college students, writers and farmers as well as TV stars angered by the way the
Lee government struck the beef deal without any effort to first gauge public
opinion.
In June, the rallies began to turn violent. Demonstrators attempted to march on
the presidential office, but were blocked by police buses and shipping containers
that had been trucked in to form barricades. Police fired water cannons, and more
than 1,000 people were arrested.
South Korea's law on assembly, established by the military rule in the late
1960s, strictly bars political protests after dark.
On the weekend of June 7, as many as 400,000 people -- organizers put the number
at 1 million -- took to the streets in the largest demonstration since a protest
against the authoritarian government of Chun Doo-hwan in 1987.
The public uproar prompted Lee to apologize twice over the span of a month. In
reaction to the firestorm, Seoul and Washington held additional negotiations,
ultimately leading to the banning of beef from U.S. cattle older than 30 months.
Scientific evidence has suggested that older cattle are more susceptible to mad
cow disease.
Officials acknowledge the conservative government faced a major setback in its
first year.
"There are reform projects the new government should be pushing in its early
stage, but they have been withheld, slowed down quite a bit by the candlelight
protest," a social affairs secretary for Lee said on condition of anonymity.
Liberals hailed the civic movement as a watershed in Korea's democratic progress,
while conservatives read a hidden motive to halt free-market reforms by Lee,
formerly a Seoul mayor and executive at Hyundai Group.
The debate on Lee's performance remains polarized, even among foreign residents
here.
"One of my positive experiences was hearing people sing songs, maybe from ten or
twenty years ago. I don't know their feelings personally, but I guess it was the
same feeling that people had during the democratic transition," said New Zealand
native Tom Rainey-Smith, who is a coordinator for Amnesty International in Seoul.
"In other words, for Korea to progress, protesters should become more noisier
that way in the future."
"It makes sense, but it's an overreaction," said Richard Feicht, an English
teacher from Illinois, as he passed along one of the largest protests in May.
"I think imported food from China is far more dangerous statistically. In
America, we have a lot of recalls of Chinese products but we don't have a rally
like this at all ... I think Lee Myung-bak is doing a great job," he said.
Lee's approval rating once dropped into the teens, the lowest since Korea's first
civil government was inaugurated in 1993, before rebounding to the current mid-20
percent.
For now, the candles remain unlit, but many see a bumpy road ahead for Lee with
the global economic downturn and a frozen job market. The finance ministry
recently cut its economic growth forecast to 3 percent from 4 percent, while
other government and private institutes expect even lower growth.
The job market will be tougher than ever, with the Bank of Korea expecting 40,000
new jobs being created in the new year, compared to 140,000 jobs in this past
year.
"Looking back, we may remember the candlelight demonstrations as kind of
romantic," said Kim Il-young, a politics professor at Sungkyunkwan University,
warning of tougher protests driven by unemployment. "This past year was about
what we eat, but in the coming year, it could be about life or death."
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
On the street, word quickly spread that it was a bad omen for the
incoming Lee Myung-bak administration.
Indeed, Lee's first year in office has been far from the honeymoon most new
leaders here have enjoyed. His pro-business, pro-U.S. agenda -- which had helped
him win the election in the first place -- ultimately backfired.
Following a hasty decision by Lee to lift a ban on U.S. beef imports in April,
Korea erupted in protests, the likes of which had not been seen in 20 years. At
night, Seoul's streets filled with demonstrators holding candles who, citing
public health concerns, demanded that the beef agreement be renegotiated.
The rallies went on for months, turning increasingly angry and anti-government.
Police fired water cannons at protesters for the first time in a decade, and
Lee's approval ratings dipped to a record low.
By the end of summer, the candlelight movement had waned to a dim glow, but many
experts still doubt that peace is on the horizon.
"Those who held the candles took to the streets because they believed the
president they elected will listen to them," said Chun Sang-jin, a sociology
professor at Sogang University.
"The government listened to them, but took few actions, believing the candlelight
vigils would subside after some time. But I'm still wondering -- have the candles
perished? Will they not emerge again if there is another trigger?"
The initial April agreement between Washington and Seoul allowed imports of U.S.
beef from cattle of all ages, banning only specified risk materials -- tongues,
brains, part of the intestines and vertebrae marrow that are known to have the
greatest risk of transmitting mad cow disease to humans. The U.S. had
persistently pressed Seoul to reopen its beef market in full, linking it to
congressional support for a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA).
The deal was hugely unpopular. Tens of thousands of citizens took to the streets
almost daily over the span of 100 days, joined by unlikely crowds -- mothers
pushing prams, fathers with children on their shoulders and teenage students
marching in school uniforms.
The candlelight movement set a high water-mark in the history of street
demonstrations in Korea. Following the Seoul-Washington beef deal, police
estimate 932,680 people participated in protests until they ended on Aug. 15.
Organizers put the number at 3 million.
Unlike typical rallies organized by college students or unionized workers, the
candlelight movement was initiated by teenage students who feared the cheap U.S.
beef would mostly end up in their school meals. Their parents followed suit, and
the nocturnal rallies fast expanded to salaried workers, unionized laborers,
college students, writers and farmers as well as TV stars angered by the way the
Lee government struck the beef deal without any effort to first gauge public
opinion.
In June, the rallies began to turn violent. Demonstrators attempted to march on
the presidential office, but were blocked by police buses and shipping containers
that had been trucked in to form barricades. Police fired water cannons, and more
than 1,000 people were arrested.
South Korea's law on assembly, established by the military rule in the late
1960s, strictly bars political protests after dark.
On the weekend of June 7, as many as 400,000 people -- organizers put the number
at 1 million -- took to the streets in the largest demonstration since a protest
against the authoritarian government of Chun Doo-hwan in 1987.
The public uproar prompted Lee to apologize twice over the span of a month. In
reaction to the firestorm, Seoul and Washington held additional negotiations,
ultimately leading to the banning of beef from U.S. cattle older than 30 months.
Scientific evidence has suggested that older cattle are more susceptible to mad
cow disease.
Officials acknowledge the conservative government faced a major setback in its
first year.
"There are reform projects the new government should be pushing in its early
stage, but they have been withheld, slowed down quite a bit by the candlelight
protest," a social affairs secretary for Lee said on condition of anonymity.
Liberals hailed the civic movement as a watershed in Korea's democratic progress,
while conservatives read a hidden motive to halt free-market reforms by Lee,
formerly a Seoul mayor and executive at Hyundai Group.
The debate on Lee's performance remains polarized, even among foreign residents
here.
"One of my positive experiences was hearing people sing songs, maybe from ten or
twenty years ago. I don't know their feelings personally, but I guess it was the
same feeling that people had during the democratic transition," said New Zealand
native Tom Rainey-Smith, who is a coordinator for Amnesty International in Seoul.
"In other words, for Korea to progress, protesters should become more noisier
that way in the future."
"It makes sense, but it's an overreaction," said Richard Feicht, an English
teacher from Illinois, as he passed along one of the largest protests in May.
"I think imported food from China is far more dangerous statistically. In
America, we have a lot of recalls of Chinese products but we don't have a rally
like this at all ... I think Lee Myung-bak is doing a great job," he said.
Lee's approval rating once dropped into the teens, the lowest since Korea's first
civil government was inaugurated in 1993, before rebounding to the current mid-20
percent.
For now, the candles remain unlit, but many see a bumpy road ahead for Lee with
the global economic downturn and a frozen job market. The finance ministry
recently cut its economic growth forecast to 3 percent from 4 percent, while
other government and private institutes expect even lower growth.
The job market will be tougher than ever, with the Bank of Korea expecting 40,000
new jobs being created in the new year, compared to 140,000 jobs in this past
year.
"Looking back, we may remember the candlelight demonstrations as kind of
romantic," said Kim Il-young, a politics professor at Sungkyunkwan University,
warning of tougher protests driven by unemployment. "This past year was about
what we eat, but in the coming year, it could be about life or death."
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
