South Korea

Up to a million say no to US beef

Article published on the 2008-06-10 Latest update 2008-06-10 13:28 TU

Up to a million people join the vigil
(Photo: Reuters)

South Korean police said that 700,000 people joined overnight protests throughout South Korea. Organisers put the figure at about a million. The candlelight vigil assembled opponents of a deal to import US beef, which consumers fear may be infected with mad cow disease, or BSE. Earlier the entire cabinet offered to resign.

The resignation offer has not been accepted by President Lee Myung-Bak and did nothing to mollify the protestors who turned out in the hundreds of thousands.

Agriculture Minister Chung Woon-Chun apologised to the Seoul rally but was shouted down with cries of "traitor". Chung may soon lose his job, with Lee expected to replace four or five ministers.

Police blocked the streets with shipping containers covered in grease to block access to the presidential palace and government ministries.

Lee, an avid free-marketeer who was elected in December, has seen his popularity slip by 20 per cent, according to opinion polls. He says that he wants to modify the deal but that he cannot renegotiate it because US legislators might refuse to ratify a free trade agreement (FTA) in reprisal.

Left-wingers, farmers and trade-unionists who oppose the FTA joined the beef protest, which took place on the anniversary of a notorious massacre of pro-democracy demonstrators in 1987.