Of Protesting: the Korean Candlelight Vigils

In my previous post I mentioned the candlelight vigils being held in Seoul currently. They are not planned in advance, but are organized over the internet with little warning. According to the awkwardly nomikered "The People's Countermeasure Council against Full Resumption of Imports of U.S. Beef Endangered with Mad Cow Disease", 65,000 people attended the June 6 protest and 20,000 people were expected for the June 13 protest outside of Seoul City Hall. The Socialist Worker claimed that there were 700,000 in Seoul on June 10, but I guess these numbers might be somewhat suspect. There has been at least a protest per week for the past month, and the crowd has evolved from a few thousand school kids to a group that cuts across all demographics. The aim of the protests, originally only to halt resumption of US beef imports, has actually expanded to encompass many political issues, including opposition to President Lee Myung Bak's Grand Canal scheme and the privatization of medical service. The protests have been remarkably effective, forcing the government to postpone US beef imports and to renegotiate with the US diplomats on the issue. President Lee has also agreed to scrap the canal if the people oppose it. The candles are intended to symbolize non-violence, a striking contrast to the pro-labor and anti-dictatorship protests of old. The protesters stay out till dawn singing old popular resistance songs.

Nevertheless, the police are cracking down heavily on the demonstrations, and there have been instances of violence. Police are using batons and tear gas, and, according to this article, from one of the pro-government dailies, protesters have damaged 58 police buses and hospitalized 16 officers. For the June 13 protest, the National Police Agency estimated that only 7,000 people would attend but that 10,000 police officers would be on hand. As I have written before, the goal was to actually outnumber the protesters. But there is something very different about these protests from the others that I wrote about. These protests are not allowed. They are contained, as much as possible, but they are not allowed.

The vigils are not sanctioned and, therefore, they are not impotent. They are, I think, actually a model for successful protesting today. They are internet-mobilized, frequent and visible. They are putting people in the streets, and they did not ask for permission to be there. They are non-violent in outlook but still a force of which the police must be wary. A good model to follow elsewhere, perhaps, except that Korea is unusual in that Seoul is the focal point of the whole country in a way that New York, for example, simply is not.

And here's a related question for my avid readers, whoever you may be: If I have the opportunity to attend one of these protests, as an observer, should I do it? I have respect for their method of protesting, but I have no real solidarity with these protesters and their concerns. The issues are not mine. I sort of think that protest is sacred, and that, if you are not actually an interested party, you should not sully the event with your indifference. I say this in light of reports I've heard that foreigners in Korea have started attending the protests just for a laugh. This seems reprehensible to me. On the other hand, perhaps it is one's duty to observe history when it is happening, like a reporter, even if it is not properly your history. What do you think?