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Downtown Seoul descended into a state of lawlessness this weekend, four days after Police Commissioner Han Jin-hee was sacked for being unable to control illegal street protests. Between Saturday night and early morning on Sunday, police estimate some 1,500 protesters gathered in the Cheonggye Plaza and held the 80th candlelight vigil against the import of U.S. beef. During the rally, some demonstrators beat police and reporters, and caused traffic congestion as they occupied the roads. A drunk motorist drove into the crowd, injuring six.
Over 11,000 police officers from 124 companies were deployed to downtown Seoul to contain the protests, seven times more than there were demonstrators, but they were unable to deal with the protesters. Some 80 protesters detained Joo Wan-joong, a photographer for the Chosun Ilbo who was covering the Jongno 1-ga area, for nearly an hour at 8:20 p.m. They stole his camera lens and memory card and punched Joo, who was wearing glasses, in the face.
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Street protesters grab Chosun Ilbo photographer Joo Wan-joong by the collar in Seoul on Saturday night.
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Around the Seorin Rotary in Jongno, another 80 protesters besieged a traffic police officer and an auxiliary police officer from Jongno Police Station, and stole three two-way radios.
Demonstrators also broke the windows of a police bus in front of the Samsung Tower, and flattened tires. Two police officers were taken to the Boshingak Pavilion, had their shirts taken off, and were beaten by crowds after midnight. The rest of the policemen could not dare to rescue the two. Some demonstrators went inside the fence around the pavilion to smoke.
The police have repeatedly announced that the illegal demonstrations will be dealt with seriously, only to be mocked by lawlessness all around. The police started shooting colored water at demonstrators from 3:10 a.m. on Sunday, when the number of protesters decreased to 200, and detained 42 on charges of illegally occupying roads.
Meanwhile, another candlelight vigil was held in the Cheonggye Plaza from 7 p.m. on Sunday attended by some 300 members of the Korean Council for Democratic Martyr and an anti-Lee Myung-bak online club who called for overthrow of the government. The vigil was held in memory of the late Lee Byung-ryeol, who burned himself to death to protest against the import of U.S. beef in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. Sunday marked the 49th day since Lee¡¯s death.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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