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Source: Minjung-ui Sori

Korea Herald will write this today:

Farmers step up fight

Farmers and civic groups yesterday demanded that the police chief resign, blaming police violence for the death of a farmer after their recent demonstration against the wider opening of the domestic rice market. Jeon Yong-cheol, a 44-year-old farmer, died from cerebral hemorrhaging Thursday, ten days after attending the demonstration held in front of the National Assembly. Activists claimed that he died after being beaten by police during a mass rally on Nov. 15 in Seoul An emergency committee, composed of 59 civic groups protested in front of the National Police Agency yesterday calling for the resignation of Huh Joon-young, commissioner-general of the National Police Agency, to take responsibility for his death. They claimed that the police agency is attempting to cover up police brutality during the rally. An autopsy by the National Institute of Scientific Investigation showed that he died from cerebral hemorrhaging and skull fractures as a result of a fall, not from direct blows to the head by police. But, protesters claim that they witnessed the police being severely violent toward Jeon. "Jeon tried to prevent the police from charging before he fell onto his back as the police hit him in the chest and face with their shields," said Bae Geom, one of the witnesses. The committee showed Sunday a picture of four farmers, including Bae, helping Jeon, had collapsed, away from the site of the protest. "Whether Jeon was killed by a direct hit or the fall on his back after being hit by the police shields, it is the police violence that caused his death," the committee said in a statement. Police, on the other hand, presented yesterday four photos taken of Jeon on the day which show him standing at back of the demonstration group and said he hardly had physical contact with the police. "If the demonstrators took pictures which indicate a violent scene, they should have released them because they take more photos during the protest than we do," said a police official. "Jeon was not even on the list of names of causalities that they offered," he added. Police opened the photo evidence to reporters yesterday, however, did not allow them to take pictures of them. Leaders from religious groups also joined the force yesterday and urged police to investigate the death of a farmer. Buddhist and Christian leaders held a joint news conference and questioned the autopsy results which the investigation institute announced last week. "We see problems in the autopsy results of the National Institute of Scientific Investigation," they said in a statement. "The government should reveal the truth and apologize to the farmers." The religious groups claimed that Jeon died from "serious" injuries during scuffles with police at the rally, considering witness testimonies and photos taken at the scene. They rejected the explanation by that Jeon died from an accident. Farmers have held a series of demonstrations across the nation before and after the National Assembly ratified a government-proposed bill further opening rice market last Wednesday. The bill allows the nation to gradually double its rice import quota by 2014. Before the ratification of the bill, two farmers committed suicide this month against the market opening.

And here

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200511/28/200511282224306939900090409041.html

JoongAng Ilbo will write their sh...