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Oct. 24, 2006, 3:03AM

Protesters, Police Clash at Trade Talks

By KELLY OLSEN AP Business Writer
© 2006 The Associated Press

SEOGWIPO, South Korea — South Korean protesters opposed to free trade with the U.S. clashed with police Tuesday near a seaside hotel, where negotiators worked to get slow-moving talks back on track.

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The brief pitched battle came as about 1,000 demonstrators, mostly farmers and laborers, tried to approach the negotiating venue but were pushed back by police wielding riot shields and firing water cannon.

Some protesters fought with riot-control sticks they had taken from police. In dispersing the crowd, police, who numbered about 300, chased protesters and hit some with riot shields. At least two demonstrators were taken away by ambulance.

The clash, which occurred about one kilometer (0.6 mile) from the hotel on the southern resort island of Jeju, follows a smaller one Monday, the first of a scheduled five-day round of talks. Then, about 50 protesters tried to storm the hotel, but were pushed back.

South Korean and U.S. delegations are holding their fourth round of talks since June aimed at knocking down tariffs and opening markets between the U.S. _ the world's largest economy _ and South Korea, its 10th-largest.

South Korean rice and beef farmers have especially opposed a deal, saying cheaper U.S. products would jeopardize their livelihoods.

The two sides have said they want to reach a basic deal to submit to their legislatures by the end of 2006, though the chief U.S. negotiator said Monday that the talks may drag into early next year.

Previously, chief negotiators have met in Washington, D.C., Seoul and Seattle, while working level officials met once in Singapore. Few breakthroughs have been reported.

The Seoul round in July was met by large street protests. Police also fired water cannon then during the biggest rally near Seoul's city hall during a monsoon downpour.

South Korean protesters traveled to the United States for previous rounds and held peaceful demonstrations there, sometimes with union and other groups also opposed to the deal.

On Monday, police said 11,000 people gathered at a convention center three kilometers (2 miles) from the negotiation venue for a peaceful protest.

Police have beefed up security in Seogwipo, a city at the southern tip of Jeju, bringing in 10,000 personnel from the mainland. Police expect up to 20,000 protesters to hold rallies during the week.

Jeju, located about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of the mainland and an hour's flight from Seoul, is a mountainous island known for its beaches, golf courses and casinos. It is often called South Korea's Hawaii.

Before Tuesday's clash, protesters held a mock funeral for the proposed free-trade agreement, burning a makeshift coffin with a drawing of U.S. President George W. Bush and an American flag on its front.

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Associated Press photographer Young-Joon Ahn contributed to this report.




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