Protestors broke up early Thursday morning after staging violent rallies overnight in central Seoul in protest against the implementation of a new U.S. beef import deal.
About 700 people who had been rallying on roadways in front of Koreana Hotel retreated to Seoul Plaza in front of Seoul City Hall at 5: 40 a.m. as police launched a crackdown on protestors.
Most of them returned home but 100 others remained at the plaza, holding a debate about the future direction of their protests, witnesses said.
Earlier, South Korean police used water cannon and detained more than 130 people as the protests turned violent.
Some 3,000 people tried to break through a barricade of police buses in downtown Seoul by pulling the vehicles away. They wanted to march toward the presidential palace of Cheong Wa Dae.
Police used hand-held fire extinguishers and water cannon to stop them. Some demonstrators smashed bus windows and protestors and police exchanged kicks and punches in the early-morning clashes.
Meanwhile, South Korean activists and unionists blocked the distribution of U.S. beef stored at piers across the country Thursday morning.
The action comes after the government issued a legal notice to officially resume U.S. beef imports. Members of civic groups and labor unions took part in the protests.
The South Korean government announced a package of extra safeguards ensuring the safety of American beef after week-long negotiations in Washington, D.C.
The announcement satisfied many South Koreans but some activists and citizens were still against the new import deal, vowing to continue their candlelight rallies that began in early May.