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South Koreans back impeached leader: Another Elected Leader Pushed Out Of Office By The US
Tens of thousands of South Koreans have poured into the streets in support of beleaguered President Roh Moo-hyun, chanting "Save our Democracy" and decrying the National Assembly's vote on Friday to impeach him.
With polls showing the public opposing the impeachment by a lopsided margin of more than three-to-one, there were widespread predictions that it will be overturned by South Korea's constitutional court.
Singing folk songs popularised during the nation's democracy demonstrations of the 1980s, and clutching candles flickering in paper cups, a crowd police estimated at 50,000 gathered at the Gwanghamun area in central Seoul on Saturday night. Smaller demonstrations took place in other cities, and officials were bracing for more street rallies after anti-impeachment activists promised daily protests.
"Our democracy is being trampled by the Parliament. Everything that we shed our blood to achieve was wiped out in one day," cried Kim Hyong Su, 69, a retiree, who described himself as a veteran of the protest movement that dislodged the military dictatorship.
The demonstrations were the largest in South Korea in recent years - the turnout rivalled only by a series of rallies in late 2002 held in the same places to protest against a fatal traffic accident involving the US military.
Despite the impassioned sentiments, the demonstrations were free of violence. A Western diplomat said that fears of South Korea spinning out of control as a result of the impeachment crisis were unfounded, and that the system appears to be working.
"This is not Haiti," said the diplomat. "This is in fact democracy."
South Korea underscored its concern yesterday to keep its economy on track by saying its Finance Minister would travel to New York, London and Hong Kong to reassure investors.
The impeachment vote, which came as a shock to people inside and outside of South Korea, badly rattled financial markets and public confidence. On Saturday, a succession of officials came forward to reassure the public that the world's 12th-largest economy is not on the verge of imploding.
US Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, who was in Seoul to discuss anti-terrorism measures, became the first senior American official to meet the acting president, Prime Minister Goh Kun. Mr Roh, 56, a labour lawyer, took office a year ago promising to break the stranglehold on politics of the traditional political parties and of running what he called a "people's participatory" Government.
That left him in constant conflict with the conservative opposition party, the largest bloc in Parliament, as well as with the more liberal party with which he ran for office.
The pretext for the impeachment vote was a minor election-law violation.
Under South Korean law, Mr Roh will be suspended from his presidential duties until a nine-member constitutional court decides whether to accept the impeachment.
The process could take six months for the court, which is to hold its first meeting on the issue on Thursday.
One South Korean political scientist said the decision would depend on whether the court decided to take a strict legalistic approach - in which case they might rule that Parliament properly followed all procedures - or whether they will bow to public opinion.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/03/14/1079199094170.html
South Korea's government has vowed to crack down on the political unrest which has beset the country since the impeachment of President Roh Moo-Hyun
Supporters of Mr Roh, suspended on Friday, have promised daily protests.
At the weekend tens of thousands joined candle-lit vigils in eight cities to voice their anger at the situation.
On Monday North Korea, which dubbed the impeachment a right-wing political rebellion, failed to turn up to talks with the South, blaming 'instability'.
North Korean demand
In an effort to curb that instability the South Korean government released a statement on Monday saying it would deal harshly with any further unrest and block future rallies.
"Any moves or rallies that cause social disorder will be strictly dealt with in accordance with laws and principle," the statement said.
The three-days of North-South economic talks were abandoned after Pyongyang asked for them to be moved because of the "unstable" situation in the South.
North Korea said that the talks should be held in the Northern city of Kaesong not the South Korean city of Paju.
But South Korea's Unification Ministry, which handles relations with the North, objected to changing the location and, after North Korean officials failed to turn up at a border crossing to meet South Korean officials as planned, cancelled the meeting.
Nuclear fears
They were to discuss economic co-operation projects and rail and road links being built through the demilitarised zone between the two Koreas, Reuters reported.
The two sides are now to discuss when and how to reschedule the talks.
But the cancellation has led to concerns that upcoming six-party talks with the US, the two Koreas, China, Russia and Japan on the North's nuclear programmes could also be jeopardised.
South Korea has tried to play down the impact of the impeachment on the nuclear talks, but warned the North not to use the political uncertainly to foot-drag on the issue.
"If North Korea uses the impeachment as an excuse to be reluctant or to try avoiding six-party talks, we'll have to question North Korea's commitment to seeking peaceful resolution to the nuclear issue," South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon said.
Newspaper plea
South Korea's interim leader Prime Minister Goh Kun has vowed to ease the political situation, taking out advertisements in all the country's main newspapers on Monday to reassure people his government would do its best to run the country and stabilise financial markets.
He called for public co-operation to help restore the social stability, but police have said that they expect thousands of Roh supporters to attend nightly protests in Seoul this week.
The protests are technically illegal, but so far the authorities have not attempted to prevent them going ahead, preferring to try to defuse the tension through persuasion rather than physical intervention.
However, on Monday police warned that future protests would be harshly dealt with and force would used if necessary.
"If they continue to reject our appeals, we will take action to disperse the rallies and subject the protest leaders to legal punishment," the National Police Agency said in a statement.
South Korea's parliament impeached Mr Roh for illegally endorsing a pro-government party and incompetence ahead of next month's general election.
The decision sparked angry scenes both inside and outside the parliament - anger that is showing no sign of abating.
Recent polls show 70% of the people believe the main charge of violating electoral law is not serious enough to warrant Mr Roh's suspension.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3512528.stm
BACKGROUND
---------------
President 'dumps' pro-US minister
Reuters in Seoul
Friday January 16, 2004
The Guardian
South Korea's foreign minister resigned yesterday in a dispute pitting pro-US ministry officials against presidential aides over Seoul's policy toward America and North Korea.
The personnel secretary of the president, Roh Moo-hyun, said the leader accepted the resignation of Yoon Young-kwan, a pro-US moderate who leaves at a pivotal moment in multinational efforts to resolve a crisis over North Korea's suspected nuclear arms programmes.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/korea/article/0,2763,1124505,00.html
TOKYO, June 5 — After weeks of tense discussions, the United States and South Korea agreed today to redeploy American troops far away from the demilitarized zone that separates North and South Korea, where they are highly vulnerable to attack from the North.
...
The troop redeployment agreement comes after months of strained relations between the United States and South Korea, which have formally been allies for 50 years. South Korea's president, Roh Moo Hyun, won election in December amid a large-scale protest movement against American military bases in the country.
Although he never campaigned against the bases, Mr. Roh pledged that he would not "kowtow" to the United States, and promised to guarantee North Korea's security against American attack. Washington and Seoul have spent the months since his inauguration in February repairing relations, but signs of distrust remain.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/05/international/asia/05CND-KORE.html?ex=1079586000&en=301191c8c20ea6be&ei=5070
Singing folk songs popularised during the nation's democracy demonstrations of the 1980s, and clutching candles flickering in paper cups, a crowd police estimated at 50,000 gathered at the Gwanghamun area in central Seoul on Saturday night. Smaller demonstrations took place in other cities, and officials were bracing for more street rallies after anti-impeachment activists promised daily protests.
"Our democracy is being trampled by the Parliament. Everything that we shed our blood to achieve was wiped out in one day," cried Kim Hyong Su, 69, a retiree, who described himself as a veteran of the protest movement that dislodged the military dictatorship.
The demonstrations were the largest in South Korea in recent years - the turnout rivalled only by a series of rallies in late 2002 held in the same places to protest against a fatal traffic accident involving the US military.
Despite the impassioned sentiments, the demonstrations were free of violence. A Western diplomat said that fears of South Korea spinning out of control as a result of the impeachment crisis were unfounded, and that the system appears to be working.
"This is not Haiti," said the diplomat. "This is in fact democracy."
South Korea underscored its concern yesterday to keep its economy on track by saying its Finance Minister would travel to New York, London and Hong Kong to reassure investors.
The impeachment vote, which came as a shock to people inside and outside of South Korea, badly rattled financial markets and public confidence. On Saturday, a succession of officials came forward to reassure the public that the world's 12th-largest economy is not on the verge of imploding.
US Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, who was in Seoul to discuss anti-terrorism measures, became the first senior American official to meet the acting president, Prime Minister Goh Kun. Mr Roh, 56, a labour lawyer, took office a year ago promising to break the stranglehold on politics of the traditional political parties and of running what he called a "people's participatory" Government.
That left him in constant conflict with the conservative opposition party, the largest bloc in Parliament, as well as with the more liberal party with which he ran for office.
The pretext for the impeachment vote was a minor election-law violation.
Under South Korean law, Mr Roh will be suspended from his presidential duties until a nine-member constitutional court decides whether to accept the impeachment.
The process could take six months for the court, which is to hold its first meeting on the issue on Thursday.
One South Korean political scientist said the decision would depend on whether the court decided to take a strict legalistic approach - in which case they might rule that Parliament properly followed all procedures - or whether they will bow to public opinion.
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/03/14/1079199094170.html
South Korea's government has vowed to crack down on the political unrest which has beset the country since the impeachment of President Roh Moo-Hyun
Supporters of Mr Roh, suspended on Friday, have promised daily protests.
At the weekend tens of thousands joined candle-lit vigils in eight cities to voice their anger at the situation.
On Monday North Korea, which dubbed the impeachment a right-wing political rebellion, failed to turn up to talks with the South, blaming 'instability'.
North Korean demand
In an effort to curb that instability the South Korean government released a statement on Monday saying it would deal harshly with any further unrest and block future rallies.
"Any moves or rallies that cause social disorder will be strictly dealt with in accordance with laws and principle," the statement said.
The three-days of North-South economic talks were abandoned after Pyongyang asked for them to be moved because of the "unstable" situation in the South.
North Korea said that the talks should be held in the Northern city of Kaesong not the South Korean city of Paju.
But South Korea's Unification Ministry, which handles relations with the North, objected to changing the location and, after North Korean officials failed to turn up at a border crossing to meet South Korean officials as planned, cancelled the meeting.
Nuclear fears
They were to discuss economic co-operation projects and rail and road links being built through the demilitarised zone between the two Koreas, Reuters reported.
The two sides are now to discuss when and how to reschedule the talks.
But the cancellation has led to concerns that upcoming six-party talks with the US, the two Koreas, China, Russia and Japan on the North's nuclear programmes could also be jeopardised.
South Korea has tried to play down the impact of the impeachment on the nuclear talks, but warned the North not to use the political uncertainly to foot-drag on the issue.
"If North Korea uses the impeachment as an excuse to be reluctant or to try avoiding six-party talks, we'll have to question North Korea's commitment to seeking peaceful resolution to the nuclear issue," South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon said.
Newspaper plea
South Korea's interim leader Prime Minister Goh Kun has vowed to ease the political situation, taking out advertisements in all the country's main newspapers on Monday to reassure people his government would do its best to run the country and stabilise financial markets.
He called for public co-operation to help restore the social stability, but police have said that they expect thousands of Roh supporters to attend nightly protests in Seoul this week.
The protests are technically illegal, but so far the authorities have not attempted to prevent them going ahead, preferring to try to defuse the tension through persuasion rather than physical intervention.
However, on Monday police warned that future protests would be harshly dealt with and force would used if necessary.
"If they continue to reject our appeals, we will take action to disperse the rallies and subject the protest leaders to legal punishment," the National Police Agency said in a statement.
South Korea's parliament impeached Mr Roh for illegally endorsing a pro-government party and incompetence ahead of next month's general election.
The decision sparked angry scenes both inside and outside the parliament - anger that is showing no sign of abating.
Recent polls show 70% of the people believe the main charge of violating electoral law is not serious enough to warrant Mr Roh's suspension.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3512528.stm
BACKGROUND
---------------
President 'dumps' pro-US minister
Reuters in Seoul
Friday January 16, 2004
The Guardian
South Korea's foreign minister resigned yesterday in a dispute pitting pro-US ministry officials against presidential aides over Seoul's policy toward America and North Korea.
The personnel secretary of the president, Roh Moo-hyun, said the leader accepted the resignation of Yoon Young-kwan, a pro-US moderate who leaves at a pivotal moment in multinational efforts to resolve a crisis over North Korea's suspected nuclear arms programmes.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/korea/article/0,2763,1124505,00.html
TOKYO, June 5 — After weeks of tense discussions, the United States and South Korea agreed today to redeploy American troops far away from the demilitarized zone that separates North and South Korea, where they are highly vulnerable to attack from the North.
...
The troop redeployment agreement comes after months of strained relations between the United States and South Korea, which have formally been allies for 50 years. South Korea's president, Roh Moo Hyun, won election in December amid a large-scale protest movement against American military bases in the country.
Although he never campaigned against the bases, Mr. Roh pledged that he would not "kowtow" to the United States, and promised to guarantee North Korea's security against American attack. Washington and Seoul have spent the months since his inauguration in February repairing relations, but signs of distrust remain.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/05/international/asia/05CND-KORE.html?ex=1079586000&en=301191c8c20ea6be&ei=5070
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