By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter

The majority of teenage demonstrators at candlelit vigils against the imports of American beef took part in the protests of their own volition, a survey showed.

The Study Group on Internet Politics and the Seoul Shinmun conducted the survey on 800 middle and high school students who participated in the rally at Seoul Plaza, downtown Seoul, on June 7, when the protest was at its peak.

Teenage school-goers led the initiative of the candlelit vigils in early May. They took to the streets, claiming they would be the main victims of American beef, which they believed to be unsafe and which could cause mad cow disease, as the beef is destined for school cafeterias.

When asked what brought them to the rallies, 71 percent said they came out of their own concerns. Some 18 percent said they participated in the protest due to a friends' invitation, 6 percent on their parents' recommendation.

Only 1 percent said they went there at the call of civic group organizers, contrasting with the government's claim that some progressive groups mobilized students for the demonstrations.

The two main reasons given for why they protested was their opposition to the import of American beef and their comprehensive complaints against the Lee Myung-bak government's policies. The complaint involved the Lee administration's education policies, which they believed would aggravate their academic stress, such as the adoption of an English immersion program.

``Teenagers used to follow agendas set by adults. But they now set their own agendas which they think important,'' said Sogang University professor Lew Seok-jin, the head of the study group.

``When the Lee government announced the English immersion program plan earlier this year, students asked online, `why did my parents vote for Lee and give me a harder time?' and said people would see what will happen once they come of age and have the right to vote. They developed their own opinion and put it into practice when they had the chance,'' he said.

Teenagers showed high interest in politics, even higher than adults.

More than 62 percent said they are interested in politics and social affairs, while 29 percent said only mildly so. Nearly 9 percent claimed indifference.

It was in contrast to an April survey conducted on 1,000 adults ahead of the general election, where 53 percent said they did not care about politics.

rahnita@koreatimes.co.kr