South Korean police raid civic groups spearheading rallies against US beef imports

The Associated Press ,  Seoul   |  Mon, 06/30/2008 2:33 PM  |  World

Police raided the offices of civic groups that have led weeks of street rallies against South Korea's resumption of U.S. beef imports, as customs officials finished inspecting the first meat expected to hit markets Monday.

The state-run quarantine service said Monday it inspected about 94 U.S. tons (85 metric tons) of U.S. beef and local importers could put it on store shelves later in the day.

However, Lee Myung-kwon, a spokesman at the National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service, said "it will not be easy for importers to distribute beef in this atmosphere" because of the protests, which included demonstrators trying to block meat shipments from leaving storehouses.

Earlier Monday, authorities searched the Seoul offices of two civic groups and confiscated materials and documents related to their rallies, an official at Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said on condition of anonymity, citing policy. He did not provide further details.

The Korea Solidarity of Progressive Movement group said police confiscated computers, placards, masks and other materials used during demonstrations along with office documents unrelated to the rallies. One senior leader was taken away by police on charges of instigating violent protests, said group official Choi Ji-yong.

Activists, students and ordinary citizens have staged daily candlelight rallies in Seoul to voice fears about the possible health risks of U.S. beef, such as mad cow disease, following an accord in April to restart imports.

The protests have been joined by a variety of liberal groups angered by the policies of the conservative new President Lee Myung-bak, and sometimes turned violent. Clashes flared again over the weekend after officials began inspecting U.S. beef.

The government earlier halted implementation of the April accord in the face of weeks of protests and negotiated an update with Washington in June stipulating that the beef must be from cows younger than 30 months, believed to be at less risk of disease.

During a rally that began Saturday night, about 15,000 people - some wielding steel pipes and hurling stones - fought with riot police who used clubs and shields to prevent the crowds from
marching to the president's office, leaving more than 200 people injured.

Justice Minister Kim Kyung-han said Sunday that authorities would arrest those who instigate violent protests, which he said would aggravate national economic difficulties amid rising global oil prices.

Kim also said authorities may use liquid tear gas agents if violent protests continue. South Korean police have voluntarily banned the use of tear gas since 1999 because of the legacy of its use in the 1980s against pro-democracy protesters against the military-backed regime.

Police began enforcing a ban on rallies on Sunday and arrested about 130 protesters, but there were no serious clashes or injuries.

U.S. beef has been banned for most of the time since late 2003, when the first case of mad cow disease in the U.S. was discovered. In the wake of public outrage over plans to resume shipments of American beef, the South Korean Cabinet offered to resign and the president reshuffled top advisers.

Earlier rallies opposing the beef import deal drew up to 80,000 people, but have since dwindled.(**)

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