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Today, June 29. Marking the end of the 5-day "general strike" against the ROK-US FTA and a (temporary) highlight: about 20,000 activists (according to Voice of People) - workers, farmers, students.. - took, since the early afternoon, the streets of Seoul..

Yonhap wrote: S. Korea hit by massive protests against FTA with U.S.

Tens of thousands of workers and anti-U.S. activists rallied Friday in central Seoul in monsoon rains to oppose a free trade agreement (FTA) between South Korea and the United States.
The rallies come on the heels of a five-day strike against the trade pact by unionized metal workers across the country.

In the early evening (around 6:30 pm) the rally turned into a "illegal demonstration" (so the cops) after about 1,500 activists took the streets near Anguk-dong. Thousands of riot cops were busy to block the protestors.. See the (Korean) report by Tongil News. Later between 2,000 and 3,000 activists occupied one of Seoul's main intersections (Boshin-gak/Jong-gak subway stn.).

(Source of the pics: VoP, OhmyNews, Tongil News)

More about today's rallies and demonstrations (in Korean):

☞ 노동자.농민 등 2만여명 서울 도심서 한미FTA저지 시위 (VoP)

☞ 한미FTA 체결 저지 범국민대회 (OhmyNews)

☞ 反FTA 대규모 전국 집회 개최 (P. Times, incl. many pics)

The S.K. bourgeois media about the strike:

☞ Hyundai Motor union workers strike for 2nd day (Yonhap)

☞ Anti-FTA labor strike grows on fourth day (JoongAng Ilbo)

☞ Hyundai, Kia Unions Join in 4-Hour Nationwide Strike (Chosun Ilbo)

Related:

Statement by "All Together" (다함께), released 6.20 (translated by "marc"/THANX a lot!!):

The government, conservative media and employers are going mad over shattering the strike of Steel Industries Union for detering the KORUS FTA. They are especially focusing their attack on Hyundai Motors branch which is in the leading position within the Union of Steel Industry.

One of the most disgusting logics they hold is that "(Union members) will get the most benefit in terms of the stability of their employment and the increase of their income", which is the same logic as what developed.
But it is not certain that KORUS FTA will increase the export of automobiles. Many people say that local production within the US has already been expanded and that the import of Japanese cars will be increased.

Even if the export to the US market increases, the workers will not be benefited automatically. Over the last few years, automobile export highly expanded, but the unstabilty of employment worsened and the number of casual workers increased. During this process, it was protest and strike that defended the employment and income of the laborors.

Most of all, the heart of KORUS FTA is in 'restructuring'. also emphasized that its heart is to make a system of competition in which more blood is shod and more casualties are created.

Conservative presses condemns this coming strike to be "an illegal, undemocratic and political strke which has not gone through the process of voting among the union members." However, it is a sensational lie. The strike was decided by the overwhelming support after democratic debates among the delegates elected by the union members. What is really undemocratic is the FTA negotiation process which was carried out without opening any information to the people.

☞ 한미FTA 반대 파업은 정당하다

Read also:

☞ 금속노조의'한미FTA 저지 총파업'을 사수하자! (노동자의힘, 6.22)

PS:

Despite "monsoon rains" (Yonhap News) the riot cops used also water cannons - or better said "mobile fountains"(??^^!!) against the demo: 

그야 말로
 
YOU SAY RAIN
WE SAY RAINBOW!