South Korean president appeals for calm to labor unrest
South Korean president appeals for calm to labor unrest
Agence France-Presse Seoul
President Roh Moo-Hyun appealed for calm on Monday after the most violent clashes seen in South Korea in years between labor activists and police left about 100 people injured.
"It's not right for workers to resort to illegal and violent means," Roh told a meeting of presidential staff, according to his office.
Roh, a former human rights lawyer who won last year's election with support from unions and liberal groups, directed his cabinet to take strong action against violent demonstrations.
His appeal came a day after thousands of metal pipe-wielding workers hurled rocks and firebombs at riot police, turning a main thoroughfare here into a rubble-strewn river of flames.
It was the first time in nearly three years that workers used firebombs in street protests. Police said 110 protesters including a U.S. citizen had been detained for questioning.
"The American was held while shouting slogans with Korean workers in the street. We will release him if he was not involved in violence," metropolitan police spokesman Kim Sung-Shik told AFP.
The riot followed a labor rally by 40,000 workers affiliated with the militant Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), which organized a half-day strike last week.
The umbrella labor group blamed police for triggering violence and vowed to go ahead with a full-scale work stoppage on Wednesday.
"Police should be blamed for excessively cracking down on protesters," it said in a statement.
The group said some 60 workers were injured. Police said 50 policemen were injured.
Labor unrest has intensified since three labor activists committed suicide last month to protest new laws aimed at curbing union power and giving employers more freedom to hire and fire.
Workers are particularly incensed at lawsuits filed by companies against strikers for losses caused by industrial action.
The demonstrations come as Roh's government faces uncertainty after a corruption scandal sent his popularity plummeting and prompted him to call a referendum on his rule.
The demonstrators used about 500 firebombs in clashes which lasted two hours, police said. Activists targeted the president personally, chanting "Down with the Roh regime."
The government has promised to curb labor militancy and strikes, which have alarmed foreign investors and worsened this year's recession.
Companies want tighter restrictions on strike pay and greater freedom to use replacement workers during strikes, arguing South Korea's competitiveness is suffering because of high labor costs.