I put together a montage of the protest videos from Feb and March

http://www.usinkorea.org/videos/new/...march_2006.wmv

Having worked on it, I am convinced my interpretation of what has been going on is the correct one. I explain it in a voice over in the video, but I'll write it out here.

Take a look at this video from May of last year. If you watch carefully, you will see a large banner at different times. It is the symbol of the Labor Union which provides less often the shock troops in violent protests for the anti-US leaders. Most of the time, however, they use the usual Korean style protest (what I call semi-violence) for internal labor issues, and Spring is the typical protest season for them (and others).

Then in this video from June of last year, you can see the University Student Union in action at a very violent protest. This video from Aug of last year shows the more typical level of violent protest -- again with the university students.

In the new video, you see that since the start of the year, the anti-US leaders have decided to mothball the typical violence that is a routine in Korean protest culture in favor of putting on the face of the peasant grandmothers and middle aged women.

Instead of trying to win support by demonstrating strength and pride in standing up to the bullies ----- in this case, the US military that is forcing the Korean government to ride rough shod over the rights of the peasants and weak citizens ----- by organizing the usual violent protest using university students and/or organized militant labor...

....the groups are trying to win support by putting out images of old, family people who are so helpless against the forces of the government.

Why?

Because the anti-US leaders know the society is not in the mood for typical violent protests. Everyone knows Pyongtaek is the heart of the future of the US-SK alliance, and the anti-US leaders know the bulk of the society does not support them in their desire to see 100% of USFK out.

The leaders know most of Korea likes to dislike the US relationship with Korea, but that they are not prepared to contemplate the costs it will take to end it.

If the Pyongtaek protests get ugly, especially if the US media start to cover it like they did the orgy of hate in late 2002, a backlash would occur in Korean society against the anti-US leaders.

We have already seen the Korean media warn the groups about Pyongtaek the last few weeks.

So, if you watch the new video, you will see at the elementary school gate, the leadership put only young women to link arms and struggle with the riot police who were trying to get into the school grounds to evict the squatters.

It is so obvious.

This is the face of Pyongtaek the leaders want to put out right now....

Helpless women and children, families, torn apart because of the US military "land grab" as they call it.

The idea is that maybe average Koreans will see these girls and older women being tugged on and pushed and drug through the street by the authorities, and it will steel enough of Korean society's resolve against the Pyongtaek base expansion ----

----to allow the groups to go back to the more normal protest routine of bashing the riot police with bamboo clubs and steel bars.

The question for me right now is how much longer the anti-US group leaders will continue this Family Face in Pyongtaek?

It does not seem to have worked so far.

I can't read the Korean newspapers well enough to know, and I am not teaching Korean adults any more, but it seems to me Korean society has not started to be won over to the anti-Pyongtaek side. It does not seem the peaceful protest method is gaining much attention much less winning people over.

At somepoint, the violent protests will return.

The only question is when....

Excellent work! University kids are such sheep. It seems they will do anything to get a good grade.

Mike

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My wife and I were discussing this and she wonders why no one in the Korean media brings up the fact that this is really a land swap so the Korean Govt. can use the high priced land in Seoul, but use Americans displacing farmers as a distraction for what is really happening.

Nice job. I am not sure of the reason for including footage from Vietnam era though; however, I did enjoy listening to the old Blind Faith song <g>

I would have no patience when that individual grabed onto the soldier gear. He would not been able to grab anyone again with that arm anytime soon. We really need to keep things in proper perspective. This is only a small % of the population. It is usually students stirring the pot. I am not sure if it was the farmers shown in the clips.

Koreans are a very emotional group. This is supported by the shoe throwing events that have occured in congress.

From what little I've been able to gather from the Korean language press, what they are playing up is what the anti-US groups are selling ---- the plight of the weakest people in the society pushed around at the behest of the American military.

It was the same with the Maehyangri/Koon-ni bombing range.

The fact that the Korean government had convinced the vast majority of the citizens to relocate at government expense did not outweigh the effect caused by the few hold outs (and squatters) the anti-US groups convinced to fight relocation no matter what.

And the media plays up the anti-US leader's side, because I guess it is typical of intellectualism beyond Korea ----- it is hard for them to take the side of the government over the little people.

This is perhaps especially true in Korea given the fact it had an authoritative government until the early 1990s that demanded the little people sacrifice much for the society and then used big strong arm tactics when segments of the society started to complain bitterly.

You see it with free trade issues all the time in Korea --- beyond anti-US stuff. The rice market in particular.

Korea has grown into a rich nation thanks to its non-agricultural industry heavily dependant on exports (free trade) ---- but, when it comes to its rice farmers, even though you see plenty of signs it recognizes reality, it can't bring itself to side against the heavy subsidies and market protections for the rice farmers.

The fact that nations like the United States, even with all its riches, saw its own family, small farmer industry wrecked in the 1970s and 80s ----- where farming familes often sold out and moved onto different careers --- or where sons and daughters chose different professions --- can't convince Korean society that championing the rice farmers in the face of free trade isn't the best policy.

So it isn't hard to see how they could over look the fact Yongsan is closing and much land is being returned.

It has often been said in the media that, in fact, most of the land USFK is returning wasn't being used anyway......and so on.....