[Editorial] For Whom Do They Protest?

The traffic in downtown Seoul was paralyzed once again last weekend because the Korea Alliance against the Korea-U.S. FTA staged street protests while blocking the road after holding a rally despite a police’s ban at a rally site authorized for another organization. This is the fourth time the group has employed expedient means to stage a rally since last December. Downtown Seoul has been suffering from extreme noise and traffic congestion every weekend because of their habitual demonstrations.

So what gives the Korea Alliance against the Korea-U.S. FTA the right or justification to obstruct the public peace? Although they call themselves the “Korea Alliance,” most Koreans are not against the Korea-U.S. FTA and have never joined the group or approved of their anti-FTA campaign. So they are not qualified to call themselves the “Korea Alliance.” As this is an obvious fraud against the public, they must change their misleading name.

They employed an expedient method for this weekend’s rally as well. Although the police did not grant them permission to hold a rally because they have a history of violent demonstrations, they staged a rally on the site authorized for the Korea Railway Workers’ Union, an affiliated organization of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU). This time, the Korea Railway Workers’ Union lent its name to provide them a rally site in place of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU).

The police must seek ways to penalize persons in charge of holding rallies by employing expedient means. Organizations lending its names to provide rally sites for other organizations must be also punished.

The National Assembly should also seriously consider the revision of the law on assemblies and protests requested by 13 civil groups including the Liberty Union in February. The civil groups are seeking the prohibition of rallies in downtown areas as they cause severe traffic congestion, and an increase in fines, as the fines for illegal rallies are currently too lenient, ranging from 500,000 won to 3 million won.

The inconvenience and disadvantages that citizens and downtown merchants have to experience due to illegal demonstrations are beyond description. Social and economic losses due to illegal demonstrations are also enormous. Losses incurred due to mass rallies and demonstrations can be translated into some 13 billion dollars, 1.53 percent of Korea’s gross domestic product, according to findings of the Korea Development Institute released in January. Politicians and the police must take action instead of being bystanders or reiterating warnings. Someone must do something to prevent rallies and demonstrations which will become even more extreme ahead of the ratification of the free trade agreement.