North Korean refugees joined forces with foreigners on the 20th anniversary of the collapse of the Berlin Wall from Saturday through Monday, calling for unification of the last remaining Cold War conflict line in the world.
A collaboration of pro unification activists ― fronted by Unify Korea 2009 ― staged protests here, calling for the unification of the Korean Peninsula and the ``liberation of North Koreans.''
``(As a result) I hope more people get involved in the cause,'' said American demonstrator Lauren Walker, an organizer involved with Unify Korea.
Three demonstrations were staged.
The first began with a march of around 30 people from City Hall to Seoul Station, where they carried out a protest that consisted of chanting and the reading of letters written by activists from around the world, with the number of people attending eventually swelling into the hundreds.
``It's astonishing how close we are to the (North Korea) issue that more people aren't coming out,'' said Walker, lamenting the low turnout.
Seoul Station was again the setting Sunday, this time involving ``a day of repentance and prayer,'' and, according to organizers, it saw a considerably lesser turnout.
Monday, the last protest, was held at Imjin-gak at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), maintaining a presence for the duration of the day.
The activists ― including Americans and Germans alongside people from both sides of the DMZ ― aim to gain international recognition for the cause, hoping to replicate a similar situation that preceded the unification of East and West Germany.
Their cause has been noted by international alternative news agencies such as CNSNews.com and globalpost.com, both relatively new entities.
``I hope (media coverage) draws attention to the people who are suffering even worse abuses than in Germany,'' said Walker, adding that she hopes for increased interest among South Koreans.
The demonstrators at the protest say they have plans for future demonstrations, during which they will continue to push for the unification of the two Koreas.
One is a two-day hunger strike set to take place Nov. 18 and 19 outside the U.S. Embassy in downtown Seoul. It has been deliberately timed to occur during the visit to Korea of U.S. President Barack Obama.
``There will be a 24-7 presence (at the embassy),'' said one organizer, who wished to be identified only by his family name, Park, due to the sensitivity of his work with North Korean refugees.
Another protest is planned Dec. 9 and 10 to commemorate the fall of the Soviet Union, International Human Rights Day and the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Soviet Union collapsed on the former date as the government of Mikhail Gorbachev fell, while Dec. 10 marks the latter two events.
The protests set for December have been named ``One Million in One Month'' _ a reference to the rapid expansion of protests in Germany 20 years ago, said Unify Korea 2009 organizers.
``People should use their voice for the voiceless,'' added Walker.
Korea Times intern JR Breen contributed reporting to this article.