Hundreds in Seoul protest U.S. beef
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Riot police beat and arrested several protesters early Monday during an illegal rally by hundreds of opponents of a beef import agreement with the United States that has raised fears of mad cow disease in South Korea.
Several protesters were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment. A policeman shoved me and slammed his shield into my right side, and the pain is killing me, Cho Ik-bi, a 36-year-old businessman, told The Associated Press as he was taken to an ambulance.
Police detained 31 people for questioning, a police officer at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters and declined to comment on the police violence.
Thousands of South Koreans have held candlelight vigils and other protests against the April 18 deal to resume U.S. beef imports. They say the government of President Lee Myung-bak made too many concessions in the accord and that it does not include strict enough quarantine restrictions to protect against mad cow disease.
The protest movement is among the biggest domestic challenges faced by Lee in his first months in office.
On Sunday, police detained 37 other protesters at a separate rally urging the government to scrap the import deal.
Lee last week sought to reassure the country on the safety of U.S. beef but failed to ease public anger, fanned in part by media reports questioning the safety of the meat.
