By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
The relay of the 2008 Beijing Olympics torch is unlikely to run smoothly in Seoul due to protests against China's crackdown on Tibet. All relevant authorities are now on high alert amid growing safety concerns.
``We can't promote the torch relay event and encourage citizens to participate in it, as opposed to previous events,'' an official from the Korea Sports Council & Korean Olympic Committee said. ``We're now worried about accidents from violent protests.''
The organization may have to hold the festival without public participation, keep the route and list of torch bearers secret in fear that the relay draws protests against China's handling of Tibetan demonstrators, as it has done so in other countries.
Since its start March 24 in Greece, the torch relay has been a magnet for critics of China's policies in Tibet. Protesters disrupted stops in London, Paris and San Francisco, helping make the games among the most contentious in years.
Two citizens who were selected as torch bearers refused to do so over their opposition to China's crackdown on Tibet.
The two are Park Won-soon, a human rights lawyer, and Choi Seung-kook, a secretary-general for environmental group Green Korea.
``I was asked to join the torch relay but I decided to refuse after watching the incidents in Tibet,'' Park said.
The Olympic flame is scheduled to reach Seoul on April 27 after the relay in Japan and move to Pyongyang before it will arrive in Beijing in early May.
The Seoul government also expressed its embarrassment ahead of the torch relay event as a host city.
``There is nothing fixed yet,'' an official from the Seoul Metropolitan Government said. ``We're preparing for the event as a co-host but we can't decide anything.''
She responded very sensitively to questions related to the torch event without detailing it.
Police are expected to prepare for emergency measures but have not yet decided if they will introduce security escorts to run alongside the torch during the relay, as in other international cities.