South Korean commits suicide at WTO protest
A South Korean protester killed himself and others fought riot police in the Mexican beach resort of Cancun on Wednesday as ministers opened global trade talks trying to bridge a gulf between rich and poor states.
The South Korean man in his mid-50s climbed onto a high security fence at the height of the protests against the World Trade Organization and waved a banner that read “WTO Kills Farmers.”
He then stabbed himself in the chest and later died of his injuries in hospital. One of his friends said it was an “act of sacrifice” to show his disgust at the WTO and its policies.
He was a farmer driven into bankruptcy by the WTO deliberate policy of dumping foreign rice in South Korea.