Report on U.S. beef import protests released

SEOUL, Aug. 30 (Yonhap) -- An estimated 932,000 people rallied on nearly 2,400
occasions in South Korea last year to protest their government's decision to
resume imports of U.S. beef, which they thought could transmit the fatal mad cow
disease to humans, an official report said Sunday.
According to the "White Paper on Investigation Into Candlelight Protests," 1,050
protesters were summarily indicted and 43 were arrested in connection with the
rallies that took place over 106 days.
The report by the Seoul-based Supreme Prosecutors' Office said the rallies that
intensified between May 2 and August 15 cost 1.5 trillion won (US$1.2 billion) in
economic damage.
Over 680,000 riot police officers were mobilized to deal with the protests, the
report said, adding about 100 of them were seriously injured.
Following the April decision to resume U.S. beef imports, nationwide protests
erupted, with record numbers of demonstrators holding candlelight vigils and
demanding the beef deal be renegotiated.
The rallies turned increasingly violent as police fired water cannons at
protesters for the first time in a decade.
The public was sharply divided, with the protests crippled the fledgling
government of Lee Myung-bak, inaugurated in February last year.
The rallies prompted officials of South Korea and the U.S. to agree to a
moratorium on imports of U.S. beef from cattle over 30 months old until South
Korean consumer confidence is restored.
Older cattle are considered more susceptible to mad cow disease, which is
suspected of causing the fatal brain-wasting disease in humans.
There have only been three reported cases of mad cow disease confirmed in the
U.S., although lingering public concerns have hurt consumption of U.S. beef in
South Korea.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)