Seoul activists join global rally against Iraq war

More than 2,000 people gathered in Seoul to join anti-war protests that swept the globe on Saturday. The rally was organized by a coalition of more than 700 civic groups in the country, and began at the Marronnier Park in central Seoul and continued with a march through the streets of Jongno.
The march included rock bands performing on moving trucks and activists vowing to travel to Iraq to act as a human shield against potential attacks by the United States. They also protested plans by the United States to counter North Korea’s nuclear program, saying that any effort could escalate military tension on the Korean Peninsula. Demonstrations were held simultaneously at Busan and Daegu and three other cities.
Protests continued in the evening with activists rallying against the U.S. military presence in Korea by holding a candlelight vigil for the two schoolgirls who died in a road accident involving a U.S. armored vehicle in June.
Separately, a group of lawmakers are pushing for a resolution against Korea’s participation in possible military action against Iraq. A resolution by Representative Ahn Young-keun of the Grand National Party had gained nine other members’ signatures as of yesterday. Mr. Ahn said he opposed any war that threatens world peace.
Another resolution introduced by Millennium Democrat Song Young-gil was signed by 32 other members from both parties. It opposes what it calls U.S. President George W. Bush’s war on Iraq, and is awaiting deliberation by the National Assembly’s foreign policy committee.

by Moon Byung-joo, Shin Yong-ho