South Korean students stage anti-America protests

South Korean students stage anti-America protests

SEOUL (AFP): More than 20,000 students demonstrated across South Korea yesterday in the biggest anti-American protest this year, blaming Washington for trade pressure and allegedly raising the risk of war.

"Let's drive out the Yankee," the students shouted, marching in Seoul and a dozen provincial cities after boycotting classes. About 100 angry protesters here cut their fingers and scribbled anti-American slogans in their blood.

The new wave of protests was prompted by South Korea's modified Uruguay Round country schedule that allegedly contained tariff concessions on U.S. farm products, and charges that Washington was exaggerating the North Korean nuclear threat.

The country schedule, representing concessions South Korea is prepared to make following the conclusion last year's world trade negotiations, was disclosed two weeks ago, triggering a public uproar here.

President Kim Young-sam fired his agriculture minister last week for mismanagement in negotiations with Washington. But critics accused Kim's administration of making secret trade deals with the U.S.

Opposition leader Lee Ki-taek launched a "struggle" committee yesterday aimed at stopping parliament from ratifying the Uruguay Round accord, urging all opposition parties and dissidents to join nationwide rallies over the weekend.

The accord, along with the government's revised country schedule, requires approval from the National Assembly, dominated by Kim's ruling party.

The national news agency Yonhap reported that some 3,000 students rallied in the southern opposition stronghold of Kwangju. Similar protests were held in 11 other cities, but no clashes were reported, it said.

During a street rally in Seoul, students demanded Washington stop forcing South Korea to open its farm market wider. Witnesses reported brief clashes in Seoul as police blocked students from marching out of campuses.

The protesters also slammed Washington for allegedly heightening tension on the Korean peninsula by exaggerating North Korea's nuclear threat, urging the U.S. military to scrap plans to deploy Patriot anti-missile batteries here.

The first shipload of Patriot batteries, designed to counter any threat from North Korea's Scud missiles, is en route to South Korea by sea.

After nightfall, some 5,000 students gathered at a park near central Seoul for an evening rally. Thousands of riot police surrounded the protesters, blocking them from marching to the US embassy, the target of recent anti-American protests.

At one point, about 100 students cut their fingers with razor blades and wrote "No imports" and anti-US slogans in blood on a white paper after ripping up a huge American flag near a black coffin symbolizing the agony of South Korean farmers.

South Korea opened its rice market in December, triggering violent street protests by farmers.