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Koreans to hold candlelight vigils against U.S. beef imports
SEOUL, May 9 (Yonhap) -- Tens of thousands of South Koreans opposing the upcoming resumption of U.S. beef imports were to hold candlelight vigils later Friday, organizers said, while government officials strove to dispel mounting concern over mad cow disease.
President Lee Myung-bak vowed Seoul will suspend American beef imports if a case of mad cow disease occurs in the United States, and Prime Minister Han Seung-soo pledged to seek a revision of a Seoul-Washington beef accord if necessary. Advertisements ran on front pages of local newspapers.
However, the assurances did little to quell public anger against the government that struck the deal in mid-April to allow the imports of almost all U.S. beef cuts without public consultations.
About 30,000 individuals have taken to streets and waved candles in downtown Seoul since late last week after Internet bloggers proposed candlelight vigils. The peaceful vigils will draw as many as 50,000 people Friday night, with the beef accord set to take effect next week, organizers said.
"We set the Cheonggye square as the venue tonight, but we are now looking for a larger place because that won't be big enough to accommodate all the people and may cause accidents," said Park Won-seok, a main organizer of the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, one of about 1,500 civic groups and Internet communities organizing the vigils.
The square alongside the Cheonggye Stream that runs through the heart of Seoul has served as the main venue for the candlelight vigils, in a snub to Lee who gained the exposure and platform he needed to become president by revitalizing the scenic stream when he served as mayor of Seoul.
Comedian Roh Jeong-ryeol, popular for his political satire, will emcee the night event, while doctors and parents as well as an outspoken farmer-turned lawmaker, Rep. Kang Ki-kab, will make speeches, organizers said.
The crowd, however, was expected to mainly consist of young students again, amid fears that school lunch programs will be the main destination of cheap American beef.
"When we saw tomorrow's school lunch menu had 'beef stew,' not just me but all the students at my school were shocked. We agreed to not even touch it... Even elementary school children know. Would you please stop this?" said a message by a teenage blogger on a local Internet site, www.michincow.net, opposing the resumption of imports.
Seoul agreed with Washington in mid-April to lift almost all restrictions on American beef imports, which were imposed in late 2003 after the first of its three mad cow cases was confirmed in the state of Washington.
The agreement, unveiled on the eve of Lee's first summit with U.S. President George W. Bush, was largely considered as Seoul's concession to get a bilateral free trade agreement passed in the U.S. Congress.
hkim@yna.co.kr
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