By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Police said Monday that they are considering taking legal action against religious leaders for taking part in candlelit protests against the resumption of American beef imports.
It also warned the leaders of the People's Association for Measures Against Mad Cow Disease, the organizer of the protests, they will be apprehended the moment they step out of the Buddhist Jogye Temple where they are currently residing.
Han Jin-hee, Commissioner of Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, said, ``We have collected information about what these leaders have said at the rallies and are considering whether to take legal action against them like ordinary people at the protest.''
His comments are targeting leaders of the Catholic Priests' Association for Justice, the Buddhist Jogye Order, Protestant Christians, Won Buddhists and several other religious groups who have led the rallies ``peacefully'' over the last couple of days.
The priests and monks said they would suspend participation in candlelit protests for a while, waiting for the reaction of the government.
The police's hard-line policy toward the religious leaders is expected to trigger public backlash. There are 4.7 million Catholics and more than 8.5 million Protestants among a population of 50 million in the nation.
Police said they would not use force to apprehend the leaders of those organizing the candlelit protests, who are currently in the Buddhist Jogye Temple.
``For the moment, we will not send policemen into the temple to round up the leaders as long as there is no request from the Jogye Temple,'' Han said.
Several hours after Han's announcement, the association which led the protests said it will not organize the candlelit vigil on weekdays, leaving each civic group member to decide on future protests.
``We've decided to come up with new strategies. The demonstrations will go on until the renegotiation is made, but in another way,'' an association spokesman said. The official fell short of revealing details of future actions.
With the association and religious groups showing signs of retreat, candlelit protests are expected to lose their vigor going forward.