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A short while ago the S.K. gov't announced its insolent plan to ban all political (except the reactionary^^) rallies/demos from downtown Seoul, incl. Daehak-no, Jong-no/Gwanghwamun, Seoul City Hall Plaza etc...

And of course a majority of the public (incl. civic and human right groups, KCTU, political parties, resistance organisations...) is strictly opposing the plan!

Well, tomorrow the conflict between them and the gov't (i.e. the riot cops) could escalate, as the (bourgeois) Korea Times reported y'day:

Tension Builds Up Ahead of June 10

Police have banned anti-government rallies scheduled for central Seoul on Wednesday, heightening fears of a clash with protestors.

Wednesday is the 22nd anniversary of the nationwide pro-democracy "6/10 movement" in June 1987.

At that time, hundreds of thousands of people rose up against then President Chun Doo-hwan's dictatorship, forcing the military junta to declare on June 29 that the government would introduce a direct presidential election system.

Opposition political parties and civic groups timed the latest rally to coincide with the watershed moment, which also led to the release of detained pro-democracy activists including Kim Dae-jung, who later became President between 1998 and 2003.

The Democratic Party, progressive civic groups, scholars, and religious leaders want to stage rallies at Seoul Plaza, Cheonggye Stream and other parts of Seoul.

"It's to denounce the Lee Myung-bak administration for its policies backpedaling the country's democracy, friendly to the rich, and raising Seoul-Pyeongyang tensions," organizers said in a joint statement.

Police said the applications for the rallies were rejected because some other conservative organizations filed applications for the use of the plaza beforehand. National Police Agency Commissioner Kang Hee-rak demanded police officers around the country play by the rules in cracking down on unauthorized demonstrators.

Despite the refusal, anti-government civic groups plan to push ahead with the rallies as planned...

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2009/06/117_46480.html

Related articles:
☞ Tension heightens over Seoul rally (K. Herald, 6.09)
☞ Restore freedom of assembly at Seoul Plaza on June 10 (Hankyoreh, 6.08)

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