Lee Says Protest Deaths Heartbreaking, Deplorable
By Michael Ha
Staff Reporter
President Lee Myung-bak said Wednesday the lethal clash between civilian protesters and the riot police which resulted in six deaths is ``heartbreaking" and ``deplorable."
He vowed to launch a full government investigation into the tragedy to find out what had caused the deadly clash.
``This tragedy is truly heartbreaking and deplorable," President Lee remarked during a senior secretarial meeting at Cheong Wa Dae. ``We must never let such incidents happen again," he told his presidential staff. One official who attended the meeting reportedly described the atmosphere at the gathering as ``very somber."
There are growing concerns that the incident might lead to widespread public discontent against the already unpopular president.
Some commentators are even predicting another period of candlelight vigils around the country to protest the way the police handled the standoff with a group of evicted tenants that resulted in half-a-dozen deaths.
According to Korean news accounts, five tenant protesters and one policeman were killed during a lethal fire clash Tuesday. Additionally, more than 20 people were reported injured from the incident.
Some 40 protesters had been occupying a soon-to-be-demolished five-story building in Yongsan, Seoul, in an area designated as an official redevelopment zone.
Reports say the tenants, including business owners in the neighborhood, were seeking more government compensation to relocate following their forced eviction from the redevelopment area.
Police said protesters, holed up on the rooftop of the five-story building, were throwing Molotov cocktails, bricks and even golf balls at riot police officers to resist a possible raid.
Reports say a group of policemen, packed inside a shipping container and being lowered onto the building's rooftop by a giant crane, forced protesters to fight back. Fires likely spiraled out of control on the rooftop when containers of inflammable paint thinners were accidentally hit with Molotov cocktails hurled by tenants, creating a deadly inferno that claimed six lives, reports speculated. The fire took firefighters an hour to bring under control.
There are signs that the tragedy could become a new focal point in the ongoing, bitter partisan politics.
Opposition party leaders are now saying that the administration and its top officials should be held responsible for the incident. They are demanding that President Lee acknowledge his administration's mistake and issue an official apology, according to news accounts Wednesday.