Hundreds of farmers clashed with police during a rally held in Seoul yesterday to protest possible parliamentary ratification of the Korea-Chile Free Trade Agreement.
Angry protesters wielded bamboo sticks in the melee with riot police troops in front of the National Assembly, firing at two police buses and smashing bus windows, witnesses said.
The clash erupted after about 70,000 farmers across the nation gathered in Yeouido, Seoul, to protest the Assembly's move to ratify Korea's first free trade pact with a foreign country before the end of the year.
The activists also urged the government to come up with measures to mitigate their debt burden and protect the domestic agricultural market from foreign competition.
They marched through the city center later in the afternoon, causing severe traffic congestion during rush hour.
Police officials said they would take tough legal action against protesters, who assaulted riot police with bamboo sticks and damaged police buses.
This year's poor weather conditions and growing external pressure to open the agricultural market have added to the woes of local farmers, who said they were already marginalized due to Korea's rapid industrialization.
In a separate protest, thousands of unionized factory workers took to the streets of central Seoul demanding the amendment of laws that allow management to sue striking workers over lost production.
The fresh wave of massive demonstrations came a day after President Roh Moo-hyun vowed not to negotiate with organizers of violent rallies, after a recent outbreak of violence surrounding the government's labor policies.
By Kim So-young
(soyoung@heraldm.com)
2003.11.20
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