Anti-Fta Rally Expected in Seoul in Memory of Dead Protester

SEOUL, April 18 Asia Pulse - A massive rally is expected in downtown Seoul Wednesday as thousands of protesters are to gather to pay tribute to a man who burnt himself to death in protest of free trade talks between South Korea and the United States, police said.

Taxi driver Huh Se-wook doused himself with flammable liquid and set it on fire on April 1 while shouting slogans that opposed a free trade agreement (FTA) proposed between Seoul and Washington.

He died on Sunday at a Seoul hospital where he had received treatment for third-degree burns.

Huh, who belonged to a taxi drivers' union, had left a statement that said an FTA with the U.S. would harm the livelihoods of common people and farmers.

Police warned of the possibility of the rally turning violent, with protesters likely to demand the government withdraw the free trade deal it struck with the U.S. on April 2 after 10 months of talks.

The agreement still requires ratification by the legislatures of both countries

S. Korea's Incheon selected as host of 2014 Asian Games

S. Korean City of Incheon as the Host of the 2014 Asian Games.

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) on Tuesday selected the South Korean city of Incheon as the host of the 2014 Asian Games.

Located about 80 kilometers west of Seoul, Incheon will be the third South Korean city to host the quadrennial Asian Games, following Busan in 2002 and Seoul in 1986.

Incheon, Korea's third-largest city with a population of 2.74 million, began preparations for its bid for the Games in 2005 after receiving official approval and support from the government. .

In its 40-minute presentation to the OCA, Incheon offered free flights and accommodations to all participants. The city also promised to raise a fund worth US$20 million to support Asian countries that have not yet won medals in the Games.

"From now on, we will prepare for the perfect games during the next seven years to cooperate with the government," said Ahn Sang-soo, mayor of the city. "We will bring state-of-the-art IT ... to such infrastructure as telecommunications, public relations and game organization, as well as sports facilities."
He added being selected as the host city will help the port city's efforts to become a free trade zone and a Northeast Asian business hub.

"The selection translates into international recognition and could raise awareness in the eyes of investors," the mayor said.

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun sent a congratulatory message to Incheon's bid committee shortly after the announcement.

The main venues, Munhak World Cup Stadium and Samsan Gymnasium, were highly evaluated by the OCA on-site inspection team late last year. The city also plans to build an athletes' village with sports parks and a public golf course to prepare for the Games.

The competition is expected to create 270,000 new jobs and pump 18.6 trillion won into the local economy.

Incheon is expected to be a training site for both the Beijing Olympic Games next year and the 2010 Asian Games to be held in Guangzhou.

Inchon for 2014 Asian Games

Inchon citizens hope for 2014 Asian Games: Hundreds of citizens of Inchon, a South Korean city bidding for the 2014 Asian Games, gather at Incheon International Airport Monday hoping for a good result in today's final vote for hosting the quadrennial sports event. The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) will hold a general assembly in Kuwait today, when its 45 member countries will each cast a single vote in an open ballot to decide between Incheon and New Delhi

Seoul mulls suspension of rice aid to N. Korea

With North Korea continuing to stall for time over the shutdown of its nuclear reactor, the South Korean government is torn over whether to go ahead with its planned humanitarian rice aid.

The government is likely to make a decision today whether to go ahead with the inter-Korean economic cooperation talks this week, where the provision of 400,000 tons of rice aid would be discussed.

"We will be deciding whether to hold the inter-Korean economic cooperation talks slated for this Wednesday as scheduled," a Unification Ministry official said on condition of anonymity.

Over the weekend, the South Korean government also discussed whether to cancel its purchase of 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil that was being stored at Yeocheon. The oil was ready to head to North Korea as part of the incentives in return for the shut down of nuclear facilities.

This undated file photo shows South Korean trucks loaded with rice heading for North Korea. [The Korea Herald]

The dilemma of the South Korean government over whether to separate its resumption of humanitarian aid from the development of the six-party talks is also causing discord within the administration.

Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung and Vice Minister Shin Un-sang have both said earlier this month that rice aid would be delivered regardless of the nuclear dismantlement process.

The Foreign Ministry, however, was more cautious, saying it remained to be seen whether North Korea will follow through the timetable as planned before resuming humanitarian aid.

The entire schedule of implementing the Feb. 13 agreement has been botched due to North Korea's demands over its funds at a bank in Macau.

Although the Macau authorities and the United States agreed to lift the freeze for North Koreans to freely use the funds, Pyongyang is yet to make a move on its pledge to shut down its reactor as part of the six-party talks agreement.

The $25 million worth of North Korean accounts had been frozen at Banco Delta Asia following Washington's sanctions against the bank for North Korean money laundering in 2005.

After failing to meet the 60-day deadline for North Korea to shut down its nuclear facilities last Saturday, the United States and other six-party members agreed to give Pyongyang more time.

South Korea, which had agreed to be the sole provider for the first batch of oil aid to North Korea, is likely to suffer a large financial loss due to the delay.

The government used state budget money to purchase the 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil, worth 20 billion won ($21.5 million), from GS Caltex about three weeks after the Feb. 13 agreement. The government also chartered three oil vessels from a Chinese company for use between March 24 and April 20. According to the Unification Ministry, it costs about 10 million won a day to maintain the heavy fuel oil currently stored at a factory in Yeocheon, South Jeolla Province.

It also costs 70 million to 80 million won a day for leasing the ships. In total the South Korean government would spend over 3.6 billion won in vain in canceling the purchase and the lease.

Sources said the South Korean government will decide today whether to cancel the four-day economic talks in Pyongyang or exclude the provision of rice from the agenda of the talks.

Anti-FTA protester sets himself ablaze

A taxi driver set himself ablaze yesterday in protest against Korea-U.S. free trade talks outside the hotel where the negotiations were taking place. Korean and American negotiators were conducting last-minute talks to finalize the deal.

Heo Se-ok, 56, a member of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and the Democratic Labor Party, dumped l.5 liters of a flammable liquid on his body and set himself on fire with a cigarette lighter at 3:55 p.m. on the road 20 meters away from the Grand Hyatt Hotel, witnesses said.

Policemen extinguished the fire immediately and sent him to a nearby hospital.

He suffered third-degree burns over his entire body and was in critical condition last night, police said.

Witnesses said he was shouting "Stop the Korea-U.S. FTA" while he was engulfed in flames.

Demonstrators stage a candlelight vigil in front of Seoul City Hall last night in protest against a Korea-U.S. free trade pact.

In a news conference later in the day, the Korean Alliance Against the Korea-U.S FTA, a coalition of civic groups, unveiled a one-page letter of will that he left at his home. The letter reads "I oppose the government's reckless push for the Korea-U.S. FTA."

Heo was an active member of the labor union at his taxi service company in Seoul and participated in a series of protests against the free trade talks, police said citing his colleagues.

This is the first time that a Korean antifree trade activist attempted to kill himself since 2003, when Lee Kyung-hae stabbed himself to death in Mexico in protest against World Trade Organization talks.

Presidential spokesman Yoon Seung-yong expressed concern about the safety of the taxi-driver. He added that President Roh Moo-hyun will go ahead with his plan to make a special television speech tonight regardless of the outcome of the FTA negotiations.

Negotiators from Korea and the United States were struggling to narrow their gaps over the stickiest issues involving automobile and agricultural sectors.

Outside the heavily guarded hotel, about 300 protesters were waging demonstrations, calling on the government to stop the talks which they claim would bring an economic catastrophe to Korea.

The Korean Alliance Against the Korea-U.S. FTA, an alliance of 282 trade unions, political parties, peasant organizations, and activist organizations against the Korea-U.S. FTA, yesterday held a series of news conferences and anti-FTA protests at numerous places in Seoul.

"As the time nears to conclude the negotiations, we gathered to deliver our message that the government should stop the hasty FTA talks, which is unnecessarily expedited in accordance with a U.S. timeframe," the group said.

In the evening, hundreds of people from the anti-FTA alliance staged a candlelight vigil in front of City Hall in central Seoul.

Police yesterday deployed some 50,000 riot police in the capital to prevent the protests from evolving into violence.

Last November, major demonstrations left 63 people injured across the country, including 35 police officers.

Year's worst yellow dust blankets Korea

The year's worst dust storm plagued much of Korea yesterday, prompting the authorities to issue health warnings against the sandy, chemical-laden wind from China.

Meteorologists are forecasting that this will be the worst ever yellow dust year in terms of severity and frequency due to an unusually warm winter and lighter snowfalls in the desert-like area of northwestern China and Mongolia.

The Korea Meteorological Administration yesterday morning issued yellow dust warnings across the nation for the first time since the nation began monitoring dust particles in 2002.

The warnings were lowered to dust advisories for Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province as of 5 p.m.

"The yellow dust warnings are likely to remain for some parts until Monday morning," Chang Hyun-sik, a meteorologist at the KMA.

Children wearing masks look out the window at Seoul Tower. Over the weekend, South Korea was blanketed in dust as the worst yellow sandstorms of this year struck the country.

A yellow dust advisory is issued when an hourly average dust concentration of over 400 micrograms per cubic meter continues for over an hour. More than 800 micrograms leads to a yellow dust warning.

"Seoul's concentration exceeded 1,124 micrograms per cubic meter, and it's over 1,044 in Sokcho city in Gangwon Province (in the morning)," Chang said.

The Education Ministry instructed local education authorities to consider closing schools or change school times for today if the yellow dust worsens. Elementary schools and kindergartens in some parts of the country, including South Gyeongsang Province, decided to cancel classes for one day.

Amusement parks, mountains and resorts saw their visitors halve as people stayed indoors.

As of yesterday, the murky weather decreased visibility to 3 kilometers in Seoul and 1.5 kilometers in Busan.

The nation is troubled by the seasonal meteorological storms every March through May, as clouds of dust and sand, originating in the deserts of Mongolia and northwestern China, drift eastward across China, South and North Korea and Japan.

The dense clouds usually contain fine, dry soil particles and dioxins, which are toxic chemicals that cause cancer.

The sandstorms are said to be a consequence of China's rapid industrialization.

Over the past 30 years, Korea was affected by yellow dust for an average of 3.6 days per year, but in recent years the number of days has been increasing. Last year, there were four yellow dust alerts lasting a total of 11 days.

"Yesterday was the sixth day of this year already," Chang said. "The dust storm season is expected to last longer than last year."

Meteorologists advised people to refrain from outdoor activities and wear masks when they need to go out. People were also advised to wash their hands and feet more frequently.

Children, the elderly, and people with asthma or heart disease are especially urged to wear a mask when they go outdoors. It also suggested people should see a doctor when they cough for over three weeks without a clear reason.

North Korea's state-run Chosun Central TV also reported on Saturday that thick yellow dust covered the western coast of the country - including Pyongyang, Shinuiju, Nampo and Haeju cities.

Dust storms hit northern China on Saturday, including Beijing, according to news reports. Chinese meteorologists said the mild storm moved toward Mongolia and northern Hebei province.

Last month, top environmental officials from Korea, China and Japan held a conference in Ulsan City and discussed how to cope with the worsening meteorological problem that is peculiar to Northeast Asia. They agreed that farming and pasturing in Mongolia and northern China hastens desertification, and that greater international cooperation is needed to work out measures to reduce the damage caused by the phenomenon.

China has already launched a massive campaign to plant trees around the Gobi Desert in Inner Mongolia to prevent the desertification from spreading further.

Long-term affects from the dust can cause damage to farm products, industrial facilities, cultural property and the overall ecosystem. Experts have long been concerned about the need for the government to come up with effective measures to minimize the damage.