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Progressive and conservative civic groups will hold another round of eyeball-to-eyeball demonstrations by the statue of U.S. General Douglas MacArthur in Incheon's Freedom Park on Sunday. The last such standoff between those who want the old soldier to fade away and those who see him as a hero of the Korean War took place last month.
Civic groups calling for the removal of the statue will rally at 3 p.m. Sunday to demand an end ¡°to 60 years of U.S. occupation and the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Korea." Organizers have notified the authorities of some 3,000 participants, but the groups¡¯ membership is nearer 10,000. The groups reportedly chose Sunday, Sept. 11, because it coincides with the anniversary of terrorist attacks on New York in 2001.
Defenders of the statue will demonstrate from 1 p.m. that same day, with about 200 people expected to take part. The Hwanghae Province Residents Association, one of the groups involved, changed the venue from the park to nearby Inseong Girls' High School at the suggestion of police, who are concerned about a possible clash. But it said the groups could move on to Freedom Park depending on the situation. A spokesman from the group said one of the anti-MacArthur groups, ¡°is even talking about forming an advance team and trying to pull the statue down with chains and ropes... We can¡¯t just stand by and watch.¡±
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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