The Battle Against the WTO Rages in South Korea
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Source : Indymedia
By Jamie Doucette 6:50am Sun Dec 2 '01
polaroidsea@yahoo.com
Some 20,000 farmers, students and supporters protested against the World Trade Organization's new round which is expected to force open South Korea's rice market. The protestors burned bags of rice and fought off around 3000 riot police with sticks and bamboo poles in downtown Seoul's busy chongro street.
Several police charges were pushed back by hundreds of organized farmers, workers, and students responding swiftly with stones and sticks. Most wore masks and were organized into groups of 25-30 representing different unions and student groups.
The fighting lasted for almost two hours with what seemed to be relatively minor injuries on both sides considering the severity of the fighting; cut and bruised workers and police could be seen recieving first aid on the scene.
Small Korean farmers feel they cannot compete with giant American agribusiness companies which produce cheap rice at a much lower market price than the domestic industry. Such an opening would put in jeapordy the lives of an already poor and aging agricultural labour force and create the conditions for multinational corporations to buy up domestic farmland.
While the anti-globalization movements in North America and Europe are currently reflecting on the context of their actions in the wake the September 11 bombings and the continuing war in Afghanistan, protests are intensiving on the korean penninsula; this is the fifth protest in 3 weeks to bring out over 150,00 people to protest the WTO and the domestic repression of labour rights in Korea.
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