Comments on: Five Arrested After Deadly Yongsan Fire

By: King Baeksu

King Baeksu — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 05:23:29 +0000

I went out to have dinner tonight in Chongno around 6pm and at the main intersection by T'apgol Park, there were two large vans on opposite corners playing the same video footage that appears in "What Happened in Yongsan" on large TV screens on top of their roof. The writing on the side of the vans said they were sponsored by "Vision Korea" which according to a Google search seems to be a trading company of some sort, but obviously they were in support of the police. There were also some messages on the side that said, "Deal with (or punish) the Yongsan killers, too." (Actually, the word they used for "killers" was "sarinp'ok"; I'm not sure what the "-p'ok" suffix means unless it is the same p'ok used for the word mafia or gangsters. Can anyone help me here?).I went to dinner and when I came back, a couple of younger ajosshis in suits were starting a big commotion near one of the vans, complaining it was "too loud" (well, not really, and certainly much quieter than all the shops on the street blasting hip-hop and K-pop at high decibels). It seemed they were actually supporters of the "anti-LMB" forces and were just using the noise issue as an excuse to try to get the vans to go away. The funny thing was that very quickly at least a dozen folks were arguing with the two ajosshis and supporting the people running the vans; things got quickly heated and the two sides almost came to blows before the police stepped in to break things up. The other funny thing is how the anti-LMB demonstrators have caused endless noise and disruption in Chongno for months on end, but they don't seem to like very much having a taste of their own medicine.It's kind of sad, actually, that the liberal media here are so biased that people have to rent vans and put them in the streets to get the police's side of the story out there for the public to see for themselves. The other sad thing is how the social conflict over these issues only seems to be intensifying. I guess the good news is that the moderates and conservatives here have decided to get more proactive and make their own position known as well. These fake leftists and "progressive" activists need to learn that they do not represent the majority of Koreans, despite their claims to stand for the "will of the people," and need to starting acting a bit more humble and realistic about themselves and what they really want to accomplish for society.

By: In Seoul

In Seoul — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 02:37:45 +0000

It may also be said that these ‘revolutionaries’ know the strengths and the weaknesses of the system over here. They are masters of manipulation and intimidation. As long as they can form an effective symbiotic relationship with political parties who can use them and whom they can use for their own political ambition and vision of an ideal world, they feel embolden to push the envelope. Thus, last summer prominent politicians openly joined the protests not simply because they disagreed with the way President Lee handled the American beef issue, but because an opportunity presented itself to unsettle the new president or—better yet for them—possible outright oust him. It’s pretty sad when politically ambitious men use personal tragedy to foster their own agenda, but this is what we seem to see played out year after year in Korea: Legitimate social grievances are distorted and exasperated to promote the self seeking goals of ideologues whose world view is usually far left.

By: King Baeksu

King Baeksu — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 01:12:01 +0000

Oh, I'm sure they were held against their will. The protesters did the same thing many times last year; not only did they assume the function of police, but they also gave themselves the authority of a criminal court when they held a "trial" at Chonggak last July in which they tried two captured policemen for "crimes against the people."Many of these fools only recognize the authority of the state when it is convenient for them to do so, and when it is not convenient for them, they simply usurp state authority themselves, or at least pretend to do so.The funny thing is that one of the leading political parties involved in these protests (both now and last year) is the New Progressive Party, which failed to win a single seat during last year's National Assembly elections. They claim to represent the will people, and yet they can't even get a single member elected.No wonder they want to effectively privatize essential functions of the state like law and order, since that's the only way they can get a taste of real power for themselves.When are they going to wake up and actually face reality?

By: Guitard

Guitard — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 22:17:17 +0000

I hate to sound overly dramatic……….but isn't something like this tantamount to kidnapping?It doesn't specifically say they were held against their will, but I think it's safe to assume they cooperated out of a sense of fear of what might happen to them if they didn't cooperate. A crowd of 10,000 can be rather intimidating…..

By: King Baeksu

King Baeksu — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 19:55:56 +0000

Wow, the protesters are now performing the function of police themselves. How nice:"No documentation devices such as cameras were discovered, and the men were released after being held up by the citizens for over 30 minutes."http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/.....

By: Guitard

Guitard — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 18:33:38 +0000

It's hard to believe the dead officer's father doesn't have stronger feelings regarding the people who killed his son.+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Dead SWAT officer’s dad forgiving of protestersFebruary 02, 2009The fire after a violent clash between police and protesting squatters in Yongsan last month claimed six lives – five were demonstrators and one was a police officer.While the nation is divided between those who support the “illegal demonstrators” or the “oppressors,” the father of the police SWAT team member who died can see both sides of the dispute.Kim Kwon-chan, 55, the father of the late Kim Nam-hun, 31, broke his silence some 10 days after his son’s death in a recent interview with the JoongAng Ilbo.“Even after the funeral, I still didn’t feel like he’s gone. It was when three of my son’s team members came to see me on Lunar New Year’s Day in his place that I realized it, and I was heart-stricken as they reminded me of my dead son,” Kim said.Kim said since his family is also underprivileged, he can sympathize with the families of the other victims. “I feel pity for those squatters who died in the incident, and I can also understand why they had to have a demonstration. But the way they carried it out was not right,” he said.“It is wrong that they sprayed paint thinner and threw Molotov cocktails. I condemn the offense but not the offender. My hatred for the offenders will make no change in what already happened,” he said.The results of prosecutors’ investigation into the incident are expected by as early as this week, but Kim said there is nothing more he wants to know since his son is already gone.“I would do anything if I could bring my son back to life. Since that will never happen, however, I decided to leave the matter as it is.“I only hope that a tragic incident like this causing regrettable deaths will never be repeated,” he said.Kim said it is heartbreaking to hear many call his dead son an oppressor of the weak. “My son has done nothing wrong by performing his duties. Police are not an enemy of the people. They are just the same people as demonstrators.”Kim, who lives in an impoverished area in Silim-dong, southwestern Seoul, asserted that the government should play the role of mediator between the haves and have-nots.“Korea is still a country where it is difficult for the underprivileged to live as few listen to what they say. The government should be the listener and speak for them when necessary,” he said.

By: King Baeksu

King Baeksu — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 10:26:59 +0000

No worries, Guitard.I was talking to a couple of Japanese tourists tonight at the demo in Myong-dong when some college kid butted in and started whining about how dangerous and deadly the police water cannon was that had been used at Yongsan. I seriously doubt he's seen the video "What happened in Yongsan," which is only to be expected. I actually told him, "Open you eyes, man, they were throwing Molotov cocktails!" but he probably thought I was just a stupid, ignorant foreigner who "doesn't understand Korea."That video reminds me that I also saw some older male protesters breaking and pulling up bricks from the sidewalk in front of Ulchiro-1-ga Station, although I don't know if they used them since I left early. They seemed to be pretty good at it, and had quickly built up a sizable pile; no doubt, it's pretty clear where they got their skills from.

By: Guitard

Guitard — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 09:38:52 +0000

Baeksu Wang ~ thanks for the "blow-by-blow" on the scene updates.

By: King Baeksu

King Baeksu — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 08:28:05 +0000

Things were even more extreme tonight. At least a dozen riot police were pulled off the line in front of Ulchiro-1-ga Station at around 8pm and pummeled pretty hard; even a couple of tiny college girls managed to get a few licks in and one even tried to grab a policeman's helmet off his head, but she was like a foot shorter than him and couldn't quite, uh, pull it off; she was certainly screaming like a wild woman, which was quite frightening and bizarre to witness. Of course, there was the usual media frenzy, which was the whole point of the evening's proceedings, so mission accomplished, I guess.I was rather sickened by a funeral procession during which some family members marched to Myong-dong bearing photos of the deceased squatters; the way these leftist groups like Shin Jinbo-dang and Minju Nodong-dang were exploiting their grief was simply shameless.I noticed quite a few ordinary citizens were much more vocal in verbally attacking the protesters, and there were quite a few scuffles and punches thrown between both sides, especially once they got to Myong-dong This strikes me as a new development, and the possibility of mounting social conflict seems likely; all it will take is another manufactured controversy to set the whole country off again, especially if it involves the US.I say we pull out all the US troops now, and let these fools defend their country for themselves since they're so keen for a fight all the time. They're well up to the job at this point, by all accounts.

By: Joey YOO

Joey YOO — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 05:15:25 +0000

Someone has uploaded movie clip on youtube.com which can explain what really happen in yongsan jan. 19-20.See this.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_P__vMOKZs