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Striking workers, police clash in Seoul
Elsewhere, S.Korean strikes show signs of abating
Latest developments
January 15, 1997
Web posted at: 9:50 a.m. EST (1450 GMT)SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) -- For the second time in five days, the streets of downtown Seoul turned into a battle zone as riot police and striking workers clashed following a rally protesting a new labor law.
The fighting erupted Wednesday after some 40,000 anti-government protesters left the rally at a park and poured into the streets.
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With an estimated 12,000 police blocking their way, the demonstrators broke into several groups to march to a nearby Roman Catholic cathedral, where seven union leaders have been orchestrating strikes for three weeks.
The most violent clashes broke out on an eight-lane boulevard running through the capital. Armored police vans fired hundreds of volleys of tear gas into the crowds.
Protesters, some wielding steel pipes, ripped up the sidewalk, broke it into fist-sized chunks and hurled the pieces at police. "(President) Kim Young Sam, step down," they chanted.
From a distance, central Seoul looked as if it was blanketed with a thick fog. Columns of smoke from tear gas and bonfires set by demonstrators billowed into the sky. The boulevard was awash with rocks and other projectiles.
Evening rush-hour traffic came to a standstill, and pedestrians rushed for cover. The clashes carried on well into the evening.
There were no reports of injuries or arrests.
End could be in sight
Despite the violence in Seoul, there were signs that the strikes may be abating. Union leaders had called for subway, city rail and bus company workers to join the strikes Wednesday, but many stayed on their jobs.
And in the most dramatic indication that the hearts of rank-and-file union members are not in the fight against the labor law, Hyundai workers in the southeastern city of Ulsan broke through picket lines to keep the nation's largest shipyard open.
Strikes have taken place across South Korea ever since a new labor law was passed in a clandestine, pre-dawn parliamentary session December 26 with only ruling party legislators present.
Labor leaders say the law makes it easier for employers to fire workers and allows for longer working hours. The government says the law is necessary to revive the economy.
N. Korea role alleged
Prosecutors hinted that they would soon arrest 19 fugitive strike leaders taking refuge at the cathedral in Seoul and at work sites in the countryside. One leader was arrested overnight.
"If the workers do not stop their illegal strikes immediately, the government will act in a firm and resolute way to protect national security," senior prosecutor Choi Byong-kuk said in a nationally televised statement.
He also invoked a North Korean threat.
"North Korea is agitating workers to topple the government," he said. "If the unrest drags on, it will give North Korea an opportunity for revolutionary struggle."
Reuters contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- S. Korea's 'largest strike in history' fizzles - January 14, 1997
- S. Korea workers, police clash outside cathedral - January 12, 1997
- S. Korea police to arrest leaders of crippling strike - January 10, 1997
- Korea clamps down on strikers - January 9, 1997
- S. Korean strikers plan partial resumption of work - January 8, 1997
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