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S.Korea warns crackdown on protests over US beef
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-06-08 20:05 SEOUL -- The South Korean government vowed on Sunday to crack down on street protests after daily candle-lit rallies against President Lee Myung-bak's decision to resume imports of US beef turned into a violent clash with police. Critics say the deal could expose South Koreans to mad cow disease from infected beef. The dispute over US beef imports has wider implications because it could derail a separate free-trade deal between the two countries that studies said would boost two-way trade by $20 billion annually. Lee, clearly caught by surprise by mounting protests over the past month, has so far refused to scrap the deal but said he would not allow in meat from cattle more than 30-months old and on Saturday spoke to US President George W. Bush to seek his help. "We will have no choice but to take action to enforce law and order if social confusion continues to increase in a way that goes beyond the level acceptable to the average person," Justice Minister Kim Kyung-han said in a televised statement. The warning came after an all-night rally turned violent and some protesters wielded steel pipes against police when officers moved in to break them up. A small group of protesters continued the rally after dawn, blocking a 16-lane road in the city centre. South Korea imposed a blanket ban on US beef imports after an outbreak of mad cow disease in 2003. It briefly allowed in boneless beef from cattle under 30 months before suspending that last year after finding bone chips in shipments. Saturday night's rally drew about 40,000 people according to police estimate, many of whom were young students, parents with toddlers in strollers and union members, calling for the repeal of the beef deal and Lee's ouster before it turned violent. Lee is serving a single five-year term after winning a landslide victory on a pro-business platform and a pledge to boost the economy. |
