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Two American animal rights' activists caused a commotion Friday by holding a nude demonstration against people who choose to wear fur and thus indirectly support the slaughter of wild cats and other animals, in Seoul's Myeongdong district.
At around noon Friday, 28-year-old Lisa Franzetta and 30-year-old Korean-American Christina Cho, two activists from the animal protection group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), appeared de-clothed before the Myeongdong-branch of Woori Bank.
Body-painted in leopard spots and wearing cat's ears on their head, the two held a demonstration, covering their bodies with placards that read, "Only animals should wear fur." They also shouted slogans such as "No More Fur!" and "Protect Animals!" to the Seoul residents and shoppers who had gathered nearby.
With the area surrounded by local and foreign photo and video journalists who had been waiting for the two to make their appearance, reporters began to fight for space to cover the event. As people flocked to the scene, traffic in the surrounding area temporarily ground to a halt, causing large-scale disorder.
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Police escort activists away after breaking up a naked rally held in protest against the commercial sale of fur as a fashion accessory, in front of Woori Bank's Myeongdong branch at noon Friday./Yonhap
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The demonstration barely lasted several minutes, however, as police who had been stationed in the area moved in as soon as Franzetta and Cho appeared. The officers covered the pair in blankets and escorted them to waiting police cars.
A police official said that, "We thought about charging them with a criminal count of putting on an obscene performance, but we judged that to be too severe, so we are considering plans to write them up for a misdemeanor such as exposure and deporting them."
This was the first time PETA had conducted a demonstration in Korea, although the two activists held a demonstration in Japan prior to this. PETA planned the protest out of concern about the growing fur industry in Asia, including Korea, China, Hong Kong and Japan.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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