SEOUL, 13 June — Almost 15,000 people, including about 200 foreigners, gathered today in the streets of Seoul, protesting against the World Economic Forum Asian Summit.
Diverse Korean movements, including KCTU (Korean Confederation of Trade Unions) and KoPA (Korean People’s Action against Free Trade and WTO), under the large umbrella of the Korean Organizing Committee against the WEF summit, organized a beautiful march from Daehakro district towards the Shilla Hotel, where WEF delegates are meeting.
Korean groups presented songs and cultural performances while the crowd sang and danced them. “Down, down WEF”, “Down, down WTO” and “Power to the People” were among the words shouted by the demonstrators. In unity with many student groups, they challenged the enormous Korean riot police apparatus, that used buses to build up a blockade in the streets some hundred meters away from the Shilla Hotel.
Twelve thousand riot police were deployed throughout Seoul to “protect” the WEF from demonstrators.
The march started at 2pm, and although demonstrators were succesful in reaching an agreement with the police in order to get a protest letter delivered and read to the WEF delegates, the WEF refused to receive them at the conference center. From 4pm to 7pm there was confrontation with the police at the blockade site, mainly through direct action strategies. There were no major injures or arrests.
On the 14th and 15th the Asia Social and People’s Movements Assembly will be held at the Korea University. Seventeen workshops will be presented, covering a wide range of issues, and there will be three plenary sessions regarding “Asia social movement’s tasks against war and globalization”, “How to strenghten solidarity among People’s and Social Movements” and “People’s struggles against war and globalization”.
Diego AzziSocial Movements International Network contact groupSeoul
