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by Christian / Base21 Media Activists
dvs-b@t-online.de

It has been two weeks since the war against Iraq began, and dozens of anti-war protests were held over the weekend in the country.

Several thousand activists, mostly members of Hanchonryeon (Korean Federation of the Student Councils) rallied Friday at Jongmyo Park in central Seoul. The demonstration later after the rally was blocked by thousands of riot cops. In the night on the campus of Goryeo University a anti-war concert, orgenized by the Democratic Labour Party, took place and hundreds of people participated.

About 20.000 members of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions gathered Saturday at the Han-gang Park in Yeouido and demanded an end to the war. They insisted that the plan to dispatch noncombat Korean troops to Iraq be immediately withdrawn. Migrant worker organisations held anti-war demonstrations, with 800 workers gathering in several cities in South Korea.

On Saturday afternoon again in Seoul's Jongmyo Park a large and powerful anti-war rally took place. More then 4.500 people, mainly Workers and a number of students, demanded the stop of the war and withdrawling of the aggressors out off Iraq. After the rally they took Seoul's main Jong-no avenue to march in the direction of Gwanghwamun. Large units of riot cops tryed to block them, but failed. Later more than 2.500 demonstrators gathered at Gwanghwamun and held a candlelight rally, shouting slogans including, “Stop the war” and “No more blood. ” A solidarity concert with several Korean rock bands supported the event.

According to JoongAng Ilbo, March 31, the Ewha Womans University’s student council held an anti-war event, with 1.000 college students gathering in Sinchon, where the university is located. "Korea should protect human rights and world peace,” ant-war activists said. “If the government dispatches Korean troops, the government would not be free from facing war-crimes charges at the International Criminal Court.”