‘Object to the Iraqi War,’ Large Scale Anti-War Demonstration in Major Cities

At the same time that there was the ‘International Anti-War Peace Day’ event, which demonstrated against the Iraqi War by the USA at around 400 cities in 100 countries in the world, was held, on the 15th in Korea, large-scale anti-war peace demonstrations were held in 6 cities of the country such as Seoul, Busan, Gwangju, Daegu, Daejon, and Wonju.

The ‘Anti-War Peace Realization Joint Practice’ consist of some 700 civil, religious, academic, and labor organizations including the Participation League and the Green Union held the ‘Joint International Anti-War Peace Great Rally to Object Invading Iraq and War Threat in the Korean Peninsular’ at the Maronie Park in Daehak-Ro, Chongro-gu, Seoul while some 2,000 people were participating including civil activists, students, religious people, and entertainers.

In the day`s event, the second team members of the ‘Korean Anti-Iraqi-War and Peace Team’ including Ms. Huh Hye-kyung (28), who volunteered for the ‘human shield,’ which stops the invasion of America to Iraq with their bodies and left for Iraq on the 16th, participated and made sure for their determination for anti-war.

The demonstrators rallied to the Jongmyo Park after the demonstration using two lanes. During the rally, rock groups were performing music with anti-war messages on trucks.

Police dispatched 3,600 in 36 companies, but there was no contact with the demonstrators.

In Busan, members of the civil and social organizations and some 1,000 people held demonstration in front of the old Taehwa Department Store in Sumyun, Bujon-Dong, Busanjin-Gu from 4pm, and in Gwangju, around 150 people held an anti-war event at the plaza in front of the Gwangju Station in Jungheung-Dong, Buk-Gu, so around 5,000 people nationwide participated on anti-war demonstrations that day.

Sung-Kyu Kim kimsk@donga.com