A few weekends ago my friend Woosang and I went shopping, and found ourselves in the middle of a confrontation between some protesters and the police.
While every once in a while things like this appear on the news, it's easy to come to Korea and think that everything is just kpop and marinated beef. Korea is a relatively new country and has struggled with democracy and corruption. The current president has come under fire several times for unpopular trade policies with the United States, and his former job as Seoul's mayor didn't exactly make him everyone's hero. His drive to modernize and beautify the city has left many of the poor pushed out of their homes and businesses.
Since my grasp of the Korean language doesn't really extend into politics and protest rhetoric, it was a bit difficult for me to understand what exactly was being protested. I think it was a combination of the the issues I mentioned above. However, I did clearly understand when they were calling the riot police bastards and dogs.
Of course, the location and timing of the protest was quite strategic. First, we were in Myeongdong, which is one of the most popular places to shop for foreigners. The few times I've been there, I heard just as much Japanese and Chinese as Korean. Second, it was a holiday weekend when most Koreans get a 4 day vacation. If people don't travel out of the city, you can bet that most will go shopping.
Woosang told me that lately, riot police have been dispatched too quickly. As you can see from the video below, they're pretty frightening.
The protesters all seemed to either be college students or old street vendors. Many of the older guys looked like they were drunk, but Korean men have a way of sounding and acting drunk when they're angry. Or maybe when they're drunk they naturally become angry? I'm sure it's a little of both.
As for the riot police, many of the men looked about my age. I'm not exactly sure, but I think the majority of the force is chosen from the young men who are performing their mandatory army service. They all seemed well trained and regimented. I was watching a group that was waiting to the side, and there is definitely a specific order where they all remove their hats in unison to fan themselves down.
This picture was on the side of the mobile prison a few blocks away.
Loud speakers to tell the crowds to disperse. The young woman's voice probably a deliberate choice.
From the back of the action, there were tons of these older guys speaking into their walkie-talkies. I can imagine they're pretty tough.
0 comments:
Post a Comment