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People's Action Against the Dispatch of Korean Combat Troops to Iraq ("Iraq Pabyeong Bandae Bisang Gungmin Haengdong") is an umbrella organization of 365 Korean groups opposed to sending Korean troops to Iraq. They issued this statement in front of Cheong Wa Dae during a protest press conference Monday, at 1 p.m. KST. An Appeal by 365 Korean Organizations to the Iraqi Group Holding a Korean National (Translation by OhmyNews)   Mr.Kim Sun-il
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2004-06-21 16:53 |
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[9:50 a.m. KST (4:50 a.m. Baghdad time)] Protestors opposing Korean troop deployment in Iraq watched in anguish as a video of a kidnapped businessman pleading for his life was aired on a projection television at a rally in downtown Seoul, Monday night. The man, Kim Seon Il, has just hours left for Seoul to reconsider its decision to send troops to Iraq before a militant group carries out its threat to execute him at sundown Monday, Iraq time. Waving placards reading, "Kim Seon-il says 'I don't want to die! South Korean troops must get out'" and bearing candles of solidarity, the 700 or so protestors hunkered down under a heavy police presence near a major intersection just minutes away from the American embassy and Cheong Wa Dae, the official residence of Korea's President Roh Moo Hyun. As the 2-minute video finished at 8:30 p.m. KST (3:30 p.m. Baghdad time), a sense of urgency at the 24-hour deadline ran through the crowd like electricity. "Twenty-four hours is too short," said a protestor, who identified himself by his last name Lee. "We've learned in these past hours of the mistakes of our government." He said that Koreans have their "shameful" government to blame for supporting an "unjust occupation." "We the people are against the troop dispatch and the invasion. We Koreans have never (invaded another country) in our long history," he shouted over the din of the crowd. Kim is being held captive by the militant group Monotheism and Jihad, which beheaded the U.S. contractor Nick Berg in May.
The video of Kim, 33, an employee of Korea's Gana General Trading Co., appeared on Korean television at 5 a.m. Monday morning and made headlines in all the South Korean evening papers and television stations. It was first released to the Qatar-based Aljazeera TV Network. The Korean national was abducted in Fallujah on June 17, just one day before Seoul announced its decision to deploy troops to Iraq. Roh has been under intense pressure to use "all available means and measures to open diplomatic channels" to save Kim. In a statement on Monday, Roh said the situation was "very regrettable and unfortunate," and requested his government to "make all their efforts to save him and address the issue with great care and urgency as Koreans are very concerned about the incident." Roh also reiterated that the troops were mandated only to aid in the rebuilding of Iraq. The People's Action Against the Dispatch of Korean Combat Troops to Iraq, which posted an appeal to Kim's captors on OhmyNews and which was on the Aljazeera Web site said, "The government should bow its head before the people" and do all it can to win Kim's return. It was also issuing an urgent appeal calling for Kim's release. "The kidnapping and threatening a private citizen with death ... will not contribute to Iraqi peace. The Iraqi people are right to resist the U.S.'s unjust invasion, occupation and carnage. Nevertheless, kidnapping and threatening a private citizen with death cannot be justified," read the written appeal. "Do we have anything against the Iraqi people?" shouted a university student who took the mike and addressed the demonstration later Monday night. "No!" came the reply. He referred to an earlier Aljazeera report that the Korean government was going ahead with troop deployments despite the "SOS" from citizens. Students and politicians then addressed the crowd in turns, asking for prayers for Mr. Kim's safety and a quick resolution. An official of Korea's National Security Council said his organization is unsure of the exact time the deadline will run out, but said it could be as early as 1 a.m. KST. Some of the protest leaders said they had been going nonstop since they heard of the 24-hour deadline. Jo Myeong Ji, a student at Sunggyungwan University in Seoul and one of the leaders of All Together, which describes itself as an "anti-war, anti-capitalist workers' movement" said, "We are opposed to the U.S. invasion of Iraq and the sending of Korean troops to support operations there. We oppose the Korean government's initiatives and support the people of Iraq." Addressing Kim Seon Il's captors directly, Jo said, "He is not responsible and we'd like you to release him unharmed." As the clock ticked away, she added that the U.S. and Korean governments would be responsible if Kim is killed. "There's still time, we have until 5 a.m. We need to mobilize the people to get action," she said. On Monday, Korea's Foreign Ministry reiterated its plan to send 3,600 troops to Iraq. The controversial decision to deploy the troops was made after months of public opposition over possible damage to Korea's international standing as the nation can be perceived to be kowtowing to U.S. pressure. The safety of Korean troops and personnel were also foremost in the minds of most Koreans, particularly in light of possible terrorist attacks at home hinted at by the discovery of an Al-Queda operative in Japan during the 2002 World Cup. Korea already has 660 army engineers and medical personnel stationed in Nasiriya, southern Iraq, working in a humanitarian and reconstruction capacity. |
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2004-06-21 23:58 |
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