Bloodied South Koreans protest US trade deal
By Ana Yoo
SEOUL (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of South Koreans
clashed with police firing water cannons on the rain-soaked
streets of central Seoul on Wednesday to protest against
bilateral free trade talks with the United States.
South Korea and the United States kicked off a second round
of talks on a free trade pact on Monday in Seoul. Protesters
say a pact would hurt the country’s farmers and workers. South
Korean and U.S. negotiators said it would be a “win-win” deal.
An estimated 30,000 protesters gathered in torrential rain
that hit the capital, including a group that seized the roof of
a major post office and unfurled a banner reading: “Let’s Break
Through the Oppression of Capitalism.”
Rescue workers inflated large orange cushions at the base
of the building in case anyone fell off.
Some 15,700 riot police were dispatched to the scene and
about 100 people were taken into custody for fighting, a police
official said.
“Farmers are furious because the government entered into a
one-sided deal with the United States without having
discussions with us,” one farmer told Reuters TV.
Despite the protest, recent polls show a majority of South
Koreans support the deal.
Protesters have gathered since Monday at the venue where
South Korean and U.S. negotiators are holding five days of
talks.
Dubbed KORUS, the pact would be the biggest U.S. free-trade
deal since NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement,
which took effect in 1994.
South Korea was the world’s 11th-largest economy in 2005,
according to the World Bank, and the seventh-largest U.S.
trading partner. Two-way trade in goods last year totaled about
$72 billion.
Both sides said they had made good progress in their first
round of talks last month in Washington.
Areas of contention include agriculture, automobiles and
pharmaceuticals.
Negotiators are pushing for a deal by January so the U.S.
Congress can vote on it before the expiry of White House
authority to negotiate trade agreements that cannot be amended.
That authority runs out in mid-2007.
(With additional reporting by Jon Herskovitz and Jang Sera)