By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
Lee Yon-jung, a 35-year-old housewife carrying her three-year-old son on her back, was chanting slogans against American beef imports along with other citizens during candlelit vigils at the Seoul Plaza Tuesday evening.
It had become an every night ritual for thousands of citizens and students to gather around the plaza in front of the City Hall. As usual, citizens from literally all walks of life began to flock there around 6.00 p.m. to oppose the government's hasty decision to resume U.S. beef imports. Heavy rains fell on and off, but protestors remained undaunted.
``I'm so angry about the police's violence on candlelit vigil participants,'' Lee said. ``The bad weather doesn't matter. I just want President Lee Myung-bak to know how angry we are over his lies.''
Arriving at the plaza around 8 p.m., the housewife joined the crowd to get a candle as she had done at previous vigils since Saturday.
Since May 2, people have taken to the streets. Citizens and riot police clashed fiercely over the weekend, leaving dozens injured on both sides. The video clip showing a riot policeman brutally kicking a female university student's head fueled anger against the Lee administration. However, taking severe beatings from the media for the violence, police refrained from using force Tuesday.
Many participants lashed at allegations that some left-leaning, anti-American groups are pulling the strings of the vigils behind the scenes.
``Do you know who is behind this vigil? It's President Lee,'' businessman Kim Bae-yong, 46, said in a hoarse voice. ``His mishandling and mistreatment of his own people and all his lies have led people to gather here.''
Seeing the influx of participants, Kim greeted them and distributed rain gear. He said all the money used to buy candles and other vigil-related items came from the donations of Internet users at various Web sites. ``Those who can't join us donated money to support us.''
Citizens took turns to give speeches on a makeshift stage. They chanted slogans or sang songs sporadically. At around 8:40, the crowd started to form a street parade. They cheered as it stopped raining.
Starting from the Seoul Plaza, the crowd headed toward Gwanghwamun where riot police blocked them from approaching the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae. Protestors and police confronted each other in Sejongro Road as police blocked the road with patrol wagons.
Shortly later, protestors turned their way to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Seodaemun, a couple of blocks away from Gwanghwamun.
On their way, groups of citizens, members of civic groups and university students from their students' associations chanted slogans such as ``Lee Myung-bak, Out'' and ``Renegotiation of the beef deal.''
Among them were families of parents holding hands with their children and couples walking hand in hand.
``We just wanted to be part of this vigil,'' Lee Hyun-min, 29, said holding hands with his girlfriend Choi Gil-soon, 29. ``We will continue this until the President gets the point that we want to make.''
The protestors arrived at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency around 9:30 p.m. Rain was falling again. They started calling for the police to free those detained after the candlelit vigil over the weekend. They also demanded National Police Agency Commissioner General Eo Cheong-soo resign from his post and be held responsible for the violence against protestors.
They moved to Gwanghwamun again and stayed there to continue the protest until midnight. A few hundred citizens remained but there were no more clashes with police. They soon dispersed, ending the protest peacefully.