13) DEMONSTRATIONS SHOW SOUTH KOREANS' "BEEF" WITH LEE GOVERNMENT

(The following article is from the August 1-31, 2008, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 133 Herkimer St., Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.)

By Sean Burton

South Korea has been experiencing massive street protests over the country's plans to resume beef imports from the United States. Over 100,000 people took to the streets of Seoul on June 11, and thousands more took part in protests on June 29. The widespread fear is that importing cattle will mean importing mad cow disease, despite assurances from the UN and the US that American beef is safe.

     Those assurances have had little effect. South Koreans are bothered by the beef imports, but the demonstrations are just as much a means to express discontent toward the government of Lee Myung Bak.

     When Lee was elected in December 2007, he vowed to "deal" with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (the DPRK, or North Korea) and work towards "closer relations" with the US. Lee has called this the "MB doctrine" (MB for his initials) which calls for, among other things, enhancing the military, expanding markets, reducing government spending in the name of "efficiency" (including an emphasis on private education), and developing stronger ties with the US. Lee insists that he wants to reduce US influence over the South Korean military, though it remains to be seen if that will ever bear fruit. And in any case, the US still holds powerful economic ties. Naturally, the beef import deal is a part of Lee's plan to improve those ties.

     Lee has come under considerable attack for those policies. Teachers have accused him of trying to make education more appealing to the rich by turning into a sort of free market. Furthermore, many cabinet appointments have been wealthy individuals chosen from regions with strong support Lee's Grand National Party (Hannaradang). Corruption charges have abounded among his cabinet, and several ministers have already resigned. Lee's foreign policy has also been criticised as too pro-American, and his desire to "get tough" with the DPRK has damaged North-South relations.

     It is little wonder that Koreans have begun protesting the beef deal. Lee was forced to publicly apologize twice in June for not consulting public opinion on the matter. Now he is seeking "amendments" to the deal that would limit imports to meat from cattle under 30 months of age. Protesters have insisted that the deal must be scrapped entirely, and more demonstrations are being planned.

     The government has already begun cracking down on protests, and police have raided the offices of two civic groups which played a major role in organizing the demonstrations, the Korea Solidarity of Progressive Movements, and People's Action for Countermeasures against Mad Cow Disease. Documents and computers were taken, but no one was arrested. The police have also been blocking attempts to register future vigils. The South Korean Prosecutor General claims that the raids are justified due to police injuries at the protests. These actions have only increased the level of discontent, and many protests have taken place in July in defiance of the government.

     For its part, the DPRK government has expressed solidarity with the protesters, indicating their own dislike for US economic interests being supported by Lee. For that, and the fact that Lee has undermined North-South relations, the North has labelled him a traitor and a US puppet. The Korean Central News Agency has also referred to the police actions as acts of fascist violence.

     "Fascist" might be too strong a word, but there is no doubt that Lee is an outstanding representative of the capitalist class in Korea, doing what they do best: selling out their own people. South Koreans know a bad deal when they see it, and will continue resistance.