Occupy, South Korean activists protest trade deal
Democracy Now
Occupy, South Korean Activists Protest Trade Deal
23 November 2011
Occupy Wall Street protesters joined with a group of South Korean activists on Tuesday to rally against the so-called free trade deal between Seoul and the United States. The demonstrators rallied outside the South Korean mission in New York. Protest organizer Adam Weissman of Occupy Wall Street criticized the crackdown on protesters who have been rallying at the South Korean parliament.
Adam Weissman: "It’s outrageous that peaceful protesters are being subjected to a weapon that can cause permanent injury — people have been blinded for life by water cannons — and President Lee, instead of violently assaulting protesters, should respect democracy and listen to his own people who are telling him that they don’t want this FTA (Free Trade Agreement), that it’s putting its country’s laws on the chopping block and compromising their rights in service to corporate profits."
The deal with South Korea is the largest trade agreement the United States has signed since the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico in 1994. South Korean farmers and some workers oppose it, saying it threatens their livelihoods. South Korean organizer and church pastor Kim Dong-Kyun said the deal would harm the 99 percent in both countries.
Kim Dong-Kyun: "The FTA is a trade agreement that benefits the one percent of Korea and the U.S., therefore it will bring pain to the 99 percent of America and the 99 percent of Korea. That is why we are doing this with the Occupy Wall Street people from both countries."
