Farmers Demonstrate Violently Against FTA

Korea Farmers’ Solidarity, which is composed of seven farmers groups including the Korean Peasants League and the Korean Advanced Farmers Federation, and 12,000 members of 86 civic groups assembled in Yeouido Park on Monday morning. Farmers who were not in Seoul gathered in regional offices of lawmakers across the country, and tried to go on sit-down strikes.

“Korea’s agricultural industry will be impoverished if the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Chile is concluded,” criticized Song Nam-su, a representative of Korea Farmers’ Solidarity. “Selling off farming for the national fortune is thoughtless and frivolous.”

“The fate of the farming sector is dependent on the decision of 148 lawmakers who promised to oppose the passage of the FTA with Chile. They should keep their promise to the nation,” the Solidarity said in its statement. “The FTA ratification, which can have a huge influence on national food security and the fate of agriculture, should not be a political compromise.”

The participants of the rally, after wrapping up the gathering, marched to the National Assembly, occupying the street. They tried to enter the assembly only to be restrained by the police. Then farmers set fire to bus tires of the combat police force. They also tried to detonate and set LP gas on fire, but police rapidly put out the attempt. Afterwards, the farmers demonstrated fiercely, hurling bottles and stones at police.

Meanwhile, the police deployed 10,000 policemen in Yeouido and blocked the entry of farmers into the National Assembly. They also seized about 20 square bars, 150 empty bottles, and U.S flags.

This rally was the third in a series of massive rallies against the FTA in Yeouido since the end of last year. However, this time there were no deplorable events because many farmers, who reconciled themselves to the passage of FTA this time, did not participate in the rally.

“We will fight to the death since Korea cannot survive without agriculture,” said many of the farmers.

“The FTA with Chile will be ratified in the end, so I hope that this kind of rally will serve as a bargaining chip for the government,” said an executive at the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation.

“Everybody agrees that we need to have FTAs, but from the farmer’s perspective, Chile can be a burden as our first FTA partner,” said Ko Kye-hyeon, a policy chief at the Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice. “The government should persuade farmers by coming up with countermeasures for them.”

Sun-Woo Kim sublime@donga.com