My computer crapped out, so I'm doing this on the work computer. I'll add details, amend, edit, and polish this when I have a chance. For now: pictures! Official estimates vary from 60 000 people (bull) to 400 000 (maybe a bit high) people showed up. The candlelit rally in Gwanghwamun: (In roughly chronological order.)
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Freight containers blocked off the main road. This is where water cannons were used before, and I think where one riot bus was dragged away from the frontline and trashed completely by protesters.
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Last night's protest was blessedly nonviolent (though noisy -- even from my apartment).
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1987 was the last bout of pro-democracy protests in Korea; they toppled the Chun Doo-hwan dictatorship; people are comparing Korea's current president to Chun Doo-hwan. . .but they have the freedom to compare him to Chun Doo-Hwan without having their names put on a list, and cars parking outside their houses, watching.
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lot of people came.
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there's the famous lee sunshin statue.
Better photo here.
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The corner store nearest the protest epicentre: they know what's what, and there's money to be made.
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Buy your protest gear here! Right next to the barricade, still out to make a buck. I love Korea!
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People sitting in circles. It felt like a street festival. Really.
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This guy brought his kids.
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The storage containers are five across, two high, and two deep, greased for difficult climbing.
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My favourite poster of the night.
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Suddenly, they all started walking. Right at me.
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A taekwondo demonstration.
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This is candle girl, the unofficial mascot of the beef protests.
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this guy was having a smoke: take a break from protesting (the mere, however-slim
possibility of) mad-cow-infected beef, which has killed about 200 people
worldwide in
all medical history, to puff on a cigarette, which kills thousands a year, in Korea alone. (
In 2000, 29.8 people per 100 000 died of lung cancer.)
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it sounds like a pun on "ambitious" if you read "MB Shuts" out loud; MB means "myung-bak" or "Lee Myungbak", Korea's president. The Korean below says "boys: tell Lee Myungbak to shut up." Basically, it makes no sense.
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There's admiral lee again.
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Many people.
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1 comment:
Alone in my "Appat", I was laughing out loud when I read this part. When i saw the photo I knew it was cumming but it was still great...
"this guy was having a smoke: take a break from protesting (the mere, however-slim possibility of) mad-cow-infected beef, which has killed about 200 people worldwide in all medical history, to puff on a cigarette, which kills thousands a year, in Korea alone. (In 2000, 29.8 people per 100 000 died of lung cancer.)"
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