Hubbard Hopes June 13 Protest is Peaceful

U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Thomas Hubbard said Monday, “I wish the anti-U.S. protest scheduled on Friday to be an opportunity to remember the two middle school students fatally run over by a U.S. armored vehicle in Uijeongbu and to seriously think about the importance of the U.S.-Korean relations and maintaining the relationship for mutual benefit.”

“I respect the right of Koreans to express their opinions and participate in protests, but I wish the protest on Friday to be a peaceful protest and I trust Korean police to protect Americans in case of violence,” Hubbard said in an interview held in his office with the Dong-A Ilbo.

“Last year some Koreans tore U.S. flags into pieces and labeled Americans as murderers. Some restaurants even put up signs, “No Serving for Americans.” Americans were anxious and confused. Recently however, protests and anti-U.S. sentiment seems to have decreased to some degree,” Hubbard said.

“Koreans should carefully review why they are hostile to the U.S.,” Hubbard said, citing a survey result conducted by the Pew Research Center where 54% of Koreans said they don`t like the U.S,” he said.

“The reason for U.S. forces` relocation is for the safety of civilians from U.S. forces` training. U.S. forces will be relocated to less populated areas where U.S. soldiers can train safely. I hope these measures will help disentangle anti-U.S. sentiment here in the country,” he said.

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