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S. Korean Nationwide Protests Greet Koizumi¡¯s Visit
Anti-Japanese demonstrations were held nationwide Monday as Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made a state visit to Seoul. Throughout the minister¡¯s seven and half-hour stay in Seoul, censuring activists burned Japanese national flags following the head of state¡¯s schedule. In Busan, some 1,000 members of 62 civic organizations and fishermen¡¯s associations participated in a protest rally, demanding re-negotiation of the Korea-Japan Fisheries Treaty.
Twelve official demonstrations were held in Seoul alone, but countless un-reported protests took place all over the capital region, causing Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to deploy some 2,000 officers from 21 units to prevent demonstrators from contacting the minister¡¯s party.
As some 1,000 students and social activists gathered at Seodaemun Park at 9:30am, when Koizumi was scheduled to visit the historical prison site, the prime minister entered the museum through the north gate instead of the main entrance to avoid the protesting crowd, who staked a straw-doll with his photograph.
Moreover, some 100 members of Seoul Veterans Association in ¡®underworld¡¯ messenger costumes burned the Japanese flag in front of the National Memorial during the prime minister¡¯s visit. In the afternoon, some 101 organizations, including the Headquarters of Movement for Correcting Distorted Japanese Textbooks, the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, and Citizens¡¯ Coalition for Economic Justice, held a ¡®Citizens¡¯ Rally Protesting Imperialism, Distorted History Textbooks and the Shrine Visit¡¯ for two hours, conducting a pseudo funeral service.
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