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| University students hold up pickets supporting Hong Kong protesters in downtown Seoul, Saturday. Yonhap |
By Lee Suh-yoon
Hundreds of university students here rallied in downtown Seoul to show their support for pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, Saturday.
"Stand for freedom, stand with Hong Kong," the students shouted as they marched from Seoul City Hall to the Chinese Embassy. They wore black garments and masks to show their solidarity with Hong Kong protesters, known to dress in black.
At the embassy, student leaders delivered a written protest demanding the Xi Jinping accept the protesters' five demands.
Massive anti-government protests have rocked the Asian business hub over the last five months. Hong Kong police violence against protesters ― shown in countless videos and media reports from the ground ― has generated an international outcry.
The students said while the Chinese government orders violent crackdowns on the pro-democracy protesters and covers up its brutality by controlling information, those in power in Korea and other countries are turning away from the situation in Hong Kong as they fear the influence of the Chinese government.
Supporters in Seoul believe the Korean government and people should do more to show their solidarity for the protesters in Hong Kong.
"Korean citizens should build a broader base of solidarity with Hong Kong," said Park Do-hyeon, one of the student organizers in Saturday's protest rally. "Despite what the Chinese government says, taking the side of freedom-longing citizens is not interference in internal affairs as there are no borders for human rights issues."
Many draw parallels between the Hong Kong situation and Korea's democracy movement in the 1980s. On social media many people shared an AFP photo of a Hong Kong protester about to be hit by a police baton on a tear gas-filled street alongside another photo of a Korean protester and a soldier in a strikingly similar pose during the bloody crackdowns on pro-democracy protesters in Gwangju in May 1980.
Back then, pro-democracy protesters in Korea attracted international support through foreign media coverage, which pressured the dictatorial regime which was dependent on Western allies' support for legitimacy and financial aid. The Chinese government, on the other hand, has not budged to mounting international pressure.
A smaller weekly rally was also held in front of Hongik University Station in western Seoul on Sunday.
The students' support for Hong Kong, however, stands in stark contrast to university administrations. Just last week, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies came under fire after it took down student posters supporting Hong Kong protests, saying it wanted to avoid "confusion caused by the irresponsible expression of opinions."
The "Lennon Wall" for Hong Kong protesters at Seoul National University's library was also taken down, after the administration announced any posters and messages ― either supporting or opposing an issue ― should be posted after a prior report to the library management office.
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