Tens of thousands of South Koreans marched through the streets here Saturday demanding the scrapping of US beef imports and the resignation of President Lee Myung-Bak, witnesses said.
Waving flags and banners, the thronging crowd slowly snaked through the city centre chanting "Lee Myung-Bak out!," but there was none of the violent clashes with police that have broken out at some previous recent demonstrations.
Scores of religious leaders including Catholic nuns and Protestant pastors led the march, holding a large banner in front of them, in a calculated move by organisers to prevent hostilities with the thousands of riot police. Police said the crowd numbered 50,000 but organisers put their estimate ten times higher.
The march followed a mass rally near the City Hall in central Seoul, which was sealed off completely with barricades of police buses, parked tightly and manned by riot police with shields. Passers-by and vehicles were turned away from the area.
The demonstrations, going back two months, were sparked by Seoul's agreement in April to resume US beef imports, which were halted in 2003 after a US mad cow disease case. As Lee's government struggles to ratify a free-trade pact with the US and in response to the protests, Seoul went back to Washington to negotiate extra health safeguards, and the meat is now on sale.
"Aside from the beef issue, this government fills me with disgust," a 32-year-old protester said. Policy failures due to inexperience, economic woes deepened by high oil prices and Lee's alleged authoritarian style have also stoked resentment, the protesters say. Lee has twice apologised to the nation for his handling of the issue and sacked top aides, but says rallies should now stop.
ACTIVISTS PREPARE 'MILLION-STRONG' RALLIES South Korean activists on Saturday promised to draw one million protesters nationwide in the biggest anti-US beef rallies so far, warning they would use young Christians as "human shields" against riot police.
Rallies in Seoul and several other cities started at 5:00 pm (0800 GMT) as campaigners bid to keep alive a two-month series of sometimes violent protests. Organisers said half-a-million people would gather in Seoul alone, including religious leaders, workers, activists and opposition politicians.
Police said they expected some 35,000 protesters, adding they would deploy some 20,000 riot police to prevent any violence. Protesters have previously clashed with police, with more than 200 people hurt in running battles last Sunday.
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