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Traffic in downtown Seoul was in chaos due to a series of street protests from Saturday evening to Sunday morning. Some 500 protesters marched through Jongno and Euljiro and completely cut off traffic in the nearby Dongnimmun and Seoul Station area for nine hours, from the time when the march began in Cheonggye Plaza at 7:20 p.m. on Saturday to 4:30 a.m. on Sunday, when the protesters finally reached Seoul Station.
Instead of the People's Association for Measures Against Mad Cow Disease, whose leadership has been significantly weakened, a small number of groups such as the radical National University Student Council or Jeondaehyup led the protests. Without a concrete plan, the protesters carried out guerrilla rallies, marching without direction from the Cheonggye Stream through Jongno and Namdaemun to the Seoul Railway Station.
Drivers in the downtown area were caught in the middle as protesters suddenly appeared on the roads, and the police could do nothing but watch. Demonstrators began their all-out guerilla strategy from 1 a.m. Sunday, simply changing direction when police blocked their way. This lasted for seven hours in the pouring rain. About 400 cars were caught for more than 30 minutes between the Seodaemun Station and Dongnimmun.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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