Published: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 15:29:08 +0900

I don't like seeing protests turn violent but these people had it coming:

A van containing several protesters drove toward the entrance of Daechu-ri, a village near Camp Humphreys, to check reports that a large group of pro-U.S. South Korean demonstrators was formed to block any anti-U.S. rally in the village, the Korean news agency reported.

Task force members, according to Yonhap, say that around 9 p.m. the van was met by 200 members of the Anjung-ri Merchants Association who allegedly blocked its path, pulled the occupants from the van and began beating them.

The task force was quoted as saying three members of its group were attacked, and that one man remained hospitalized for treatment of cuts and fractures, including a head injury.

Kim Ki-ho, president of the Anjung-ri Merchants Association, said Monday that at least two association members were injured in Saturday¿s clash with the protesters and were hospitalized.

This type of thing has actually happened before in the past in Dongducheon where the locals there have no love for the anti-US protesters.* Protests outside of a US camp mean soldiers get locked down on post which hurts the merchants' bottom line that day.* Hitting Koreans in the pocketbook is definitely one way to get them motivated to come out against the anti-US protesters.*

Check out Nomad for more on the Rumble at the Hump.

Tags: camp humphreys, korea

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I know for a fact, because I deal with many of them, that many Korean businesses are just getting by. There is so much competition and with so many exercises throughout the year it can be tough. I can see someone just scraping by getting extremely angry when they get wind of a protest. The last major protest at the Hump lasted for a few weeks and cost the locals a small fortune. They won't let it happen again.

I don't like to see violence, but many of the protesters are not even from the area. They drive in and cause trouble then go home. Then the locals have to deal with the impact.

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