Feeling Awkward, Ha?   2008-07-02 13:30

The Korean government is finding itself in a pretty awkward position this week. It was quite clear what Lee Myung-Bak's government has been trying to do with our protests: respond violently, provoke violence, paint the protesters as a lawless mob, and so make ordinary citizens turn their backs on the protests. This sneaky plan has been executed very well until last weekend, when hundreds of people got injured in a brutal clash with riot police. Ordinary citizens don't like to get involved in dangerous situations. As women and teenagers comprise a large part of recent protests, to make them afraid of hitting the street is the best way to make our protests die out.

But not anymore. A new variable has come into view which the government does not seem to have anticipated. Since June 30, a large number of religious leaders have joined the protesters to demand that the government put the People first and stop the brutality. As I reported yesterday, Catholic priests brought peace back to Seoul Plaza. While the Coalition of NGO's that has been organizing much of our protests since early May failed to stop violence and sometimes even seemed to encourage it, Catholic priests convinced all of us to stay calm and rational in our protests. Their leaders have set up a tent in Seoul Plaza, where they plan on a hunger strike. Any attempt on the government's part to interfere with them will likely be met with a huge backlash, as such measures have the potential to violate the freedom of religion.

Not only Catholics but also Protestants and Buddhists have taken it to the streets. Protestant leaders joined our protests today (see picture below) and demanded that the government open the way to the Blue House. The police successfully kept them away from the President's residence, but no violence was witnessed. Protestant leaders are planning to hold an even larger protest tomorrow, followed by Buddhist monks the day after tomorrow. Forming a coalition of all seven of Korea's major religions is also being discussed.

All of this pushes the government into a rather sticky situation. When there is less danger of a violent conflict, more citizens will feel comfortable participating in demonstrations. In such a case, it is quite possible for hundreds of thousands -- or even millions -- of citizens to gather once again in protest, as they did on June 10. Protests are not going to die out; rather, they could grow beyond anything we've ever seen. On top of that, it is much more difficult to crack down upon religious leaders than it is to go violent against political activists. Many Koreans are deeply attached to their religions; freedom of religion wasn't greatly infringed upon even during the days of military dictatorship.

As a result, there seems to be a bit of confusion in the government of late. Yu In-Chon, the Minister of Culture and Tourism who only a few days ago called for the protesters to go home, is now saying that the government should talk with its citizens rather than fight them. The ruling Hannara Party, which has been unabashedly in support of the brutal crackdown, now has "no comments" to make. But there are also a fair number of bastards in the government and among its supporters who would still like to eliminate their critics by all means. Unable to find an excuse to use violence against religious leaders and peaceful protesters, they have come up with a whole bunch of subtle and dirty tricks over the last couple of days.

The New Progressive Party currently has no seats in the National Assembly, but it has become fairly popular recently because of its prominent participation in the protests, its "Color TV" live broadcasts, and some of its key people. Its head office was attacked last night (see picture above) by a group of thugs -- the same men who once occupied Seoul Plaza and beat up a few protesters. The thugs smashed anything they could put their hands on, and beat up several men and women who were in the office. It took a suspiciously long time for the police to arrive at the scene; the injured men and women called an ambulance a few minutes after they called the police, and the ambulance arrived first! (In Korea, you dial two difference numbers for police and medical emergencies.) The thugs were arrested in the end, but not before they thoroughly trashed the NPP head office, hurt a few people, and punched Mr. Jin Joong-Kwon, a well-known public figure, in the face. Folks who learned about the incident are saying that Lee Myung-Bak's government, which is obsessed with privatizing everything from health care to water supplies, has even privatized oppression and sabotage. Whether public or private, this kind of attack on political opponents is totally unacceptable.

Even more foul-smelling than the attack on NPP is the City of Seoul's sudden decision to re-grass Seoul Plaza. To be sure, tens of thousands of people trampling on the glass for seven straight weeks killed most of the grass. But why re-grass now? New grass needs time to take root, so the Plaza will be unavailable for three weeks if it is re-grassed now. If anything, the re-grassing looks like a very lame excuse to keep protesters away from Seoul Plaza -- and in particular, an attempt to remove the fasting Catholic priests.

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