Members of Seoul National University's student council perform the Buddhist praying act of ``sambo ilbae,'' walking three steps and making one bow with knees on the ground, on the campus in Seoul, Wednesday, to call for students' participation in a class boycott planned for today as a protest against American beef imports. / Korea Times Photo by Won You-hon |
By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
Seoul National University (SNU) students voted to boycott classes today in protest at the government's decision to resume American beef imports.
Korea University and other universities across the nation are also planning similar action and more active participation in the protest.
The SNU students' council said Wednesday its students would press for renegotiation of the beef deal. The decision was made by 89.2 percent of its students voting for the walkout.
``On behalf of all SNU students, we urge the government to renegotiate U.S. beef imports and scrap the official notice for the import of U.S. beef. Accepting such a pan-national demand is the only way for the government to resolve this crisis of communication and of democracy,'' council head Jeon Chang-yeol said.
The council plans to hold a rally on the campus in which students can participate instead of attending lectures. They will then join a candlelit vigil at Seoul Plaza in the evening. However, as many students have to take end-of-term examinations, it is unclear how many students will actually participate in the boycott.
Jeon also called for National Police Agency Commissioner General Eo Cheong-soo, to take responsibility and resign over the incident of a riot policeman beating a school student during a recent rally.
``The police chief himself should have apologized to the victim and SNU students, instead a junior police official made a formal apology to the school president and the president accepted it,'' Jeon said. ``It is a deceitful action to dodge criticism. We demand Eo's resignation.''
The council said SNU may join forces with other universities in a joint protest action. Students at Yonsei, Ewha Womans, Sogang and Hongik universities plan to hold their own candlelit protests on their campuses and join the downtown rally today. Korea University's student council is holding a vote on whether to boycott classes.
In the meantime, a coalition of civic groups opposing the beef imports will hold a rally for 72 hours from Thursday evening through Sunday. The coalition will continue marches and rallies during the daytime besides the usual nightly candlelit vigils.
rahnita@koreatimes.co.kr
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