Trade Protests in South Korea
Throughout the past 40 days, South Koreans have vehemently opposed a government proposal to lift a five-year suspension on the import of U.S. beef. Fear of meat tainted with mad cow disease prompted 100,000 Koreans took to the streets of Seoul. Korea suspended the imports in 2003 when the first case of mad cow was discovered in American beef.
The public outcry over the proposal to lift the ban is President Lee Myung Bak's first big challenge as he tries to improve relations between the U.S. and South Korea. Though the president and his administration took office in February, already the uproar has prompted the president’s entire cabinet to offer their resignations. The divisive trade deal and a trucker’s strike over the surging price of fuel could further slow the South Korean economy.
This Al Jazeera video shows some of the more striking images from the demonstrations and gives an overview of the political climate that has led to the near- daily protests.
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