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by Christian and Terry Park/Base21 Media Activists
dvs-b@t-online.de
parkterry@hotmail.com

Seoul, Korea--On the heels of the October 26th globally-coordinated anti-war demonstration and march from Insadong plaza to Jongmyo Park, a larger demonstration was organized last Saturday to protest the U.S. war plans in the Middle East.

Approximately 400 protestors, mainly youth, gathered at Yeongdeungpo subway station. They loudly demanded an end to war preparations against Iraq and vehemently condemned Seoul's expected support of their allies in Washington.

Despite the icy cold weather, the rally moved to Yeoido, home of the National Assembly, where more people gradually joined the demonstration. Peace activists made speeches against the planned war and the presence of 37,000 U.S. troops in South Korea. This was followed by revolutionary cultural performances. Kwon Yeong-gil, the presidential candidate from the Democratic Labor Party, gave an anti-war speech that was met with loud applause. According to "Chan," a member of All Together, a radical student and youth organization, Kwon is the only presidential candidate to speak out against a possible U.S. attack on Iraq.

After the end of the Yeoido event, the demonstration, now 750 strong, walked back to Yeongdeungpo for the final rally. Participants promised to continue to create a mass movement against neo-imperialist war policies.

As for future anti-war events, a press conference will be held in front of the Russian embassy on Thursday to condemn the war in Chechnya. Another peace rally will be held next Sunday, November 10th. Organizers hope their rally will join forces with the planned KCTU demonstration, where 50,000 are expected to flood the streets of Seoul.