South Korea. Something’s happening here
Over one million people recently demonstrated in 46 cities in South Korea. The protests were mainly in memory of the two girls killed by a U.S. military vehicle, something which has infuriated and rallied the entire country.
They were also to express solidarity with North Korea, to work towards unification, and protest U.S. military in their country.
One million people protested in a country of forty million. That’s 2.5% of the population actively in the streets – a huge percentage, I think. Were that percentage to demonstrate here, we would have 7 million in the streets.
According to Young Hui Kim, a writer for Korean Internet Daily News (with news in English), more join the protests each day.
From their Why Koreans Protest Against U.S.A.
“Why are Koreans protesting against the United States, a nation of liberators?
Six months ago, while walking to a friends birthday party, two 14-year old schoolgirls, Shin Hyo-soon & Shim Mi-sun, were mercilessly crushed to death by a 56-ton armored US military vehicle during a military training exercise. The drivers of this vehicle were suspected of deliberately running over the girls to avoid colliding with oncoming US military vehicles. The mood of Koreans turned from sorrow to outrage when the US military immediately claimed innocence and attempted to bring the two suspected drivers back to the US without an investigation.
Following months of protests to try the soldiers in a Korean civil court, the US military was forced to keep the trial in south Korea, however, in a US military court. A few weeks ago (Nov. 21st & 23rd), the trials ended in what many critics believe to be a sham trial, and both drivers were acquitted of negligent homicide. A few days later, both soldiers were promptly transferred back to the US.”
This is a major, growing national issue in South Korea.