PRO-AMERICAN Crowd Now Finding Its Voice in S. Korea as DPRK Nuke Standoff Intensifies

Associated Press (Seoul, Korea) ^ | 23 February 2003 | Associated Press (Hoosier Times)

[AmericanInTokyo]

[South Koreans Burn A North Korean Flag]

Title: "Pro-American Crowd Now Finding Its Voice in South Korea as Nuclear Standoff Intensifies"

Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea

Not long ago, angry chants of "murderous American GIs" and the somber flicker of anti-U.S. candlelight vigils once filled the downtown streets of Seoul.

But as tension builds over North Korea's suspected nuclear weapons program, pro-American rallies are drawing big crowds in the South Korean capital.

"The majority has been silent too long," said Kim Bum-soo, who is helping organize a major pro-U.S. demonstration March 1 urging Washington to keep its troops here.

Supporters hope to attract 500,000 people. It follows two pro-American rallies last month that each attracted tens of thousands to support South Korea's top ally.

The more vocal pro-American mood swing is a turnaround from just months ago when tens of thousands of South Koreans joined candlelit protests and chanted down the U.S. military after the deaths of two South Korean girls struck by an American vehicle.

At that time, pro-U.S. counterrallies managed to muster only dozens. Now with the tide shifted, anti-U.S. protests are now small and localized, such as a recent one opposing a construction project at a U.S. base.

Giving impetus to the turnaround is talk in Washington of cutting back on the 37,000 U.S. troops based in South Korea as a deterrent against a North Korean attack.

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said last week that the United States is working to see if it should restructure or reduce its forces or possibly move troops away from Seoul or the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas.

And Gen. Leon J. LaPorte, commander of the U.S. military in Korea, acknowledged Thursday that Seoul and Washington need to reassess their 50-year-old military alliance.

That's chilling news to many in South Korea, especially the older generation that remembers the North Korean invasion that sparked the 1950-53 war.

No one has indicated that such a troop adjustment is imminent, and analysts say it would be unlikely to happen during the current North Korean standoff. But to many South Koreans, it is premature to even talk about tinkering with defenses while North Korea is believed to be sitting on one or two atomic bombs and trying to develop more.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Considering the HUGE crowds by "International A.N.S.W.E.R." in the United States, but with a quiet majority of the American people behind President Bush/Tony Blair and opposed to Saddam, doesn't South Korea sound a little bit like us?

This, I think, may give hope to the Freepers in the USA struggling to get more than 100-200 people to turnout to support the American Flag, which has been already bloodstained in a thousands battles for freedom. At least, it shows, a turnaround can be achieved!

[KantianBurke]

All the same I think that a selfish South Korean fear arising recent belligerent actions and statements by the Noth Koreans have much more to do with the pro American sentiment than any sort of solidarity with the US. Thats not wrong in it of itself but lets not get misty eyed. We should worry more about US soliders than fickle South Korean feelings.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Now watch the mainline, liberal-inspired USA media nearly IGNORE March 1st in Seoul, when hundreds of thousands of S. Koreans come out in support of Bush and waving the US flag in appreciation.

Just watch the silence of the US media about this after their strong coverage of anti-US rallies.

Predicted, (albeit a 'no-brainer'), right here on FR!

[George W. Bush]

Giving impetus to the turnaround is talk in Washington of cutting back on the 37,000 U.S. troops based in South Korea as a deterrent against a North Korean attack.

Time to give Germany the same wakeup call but to actually carry through with it. I'm more interested in staying in Korea for the time being but we need to cut our forces in Germany (77,000) at least in half. Especially after Austria blocked our ability to move them across Austrian territory.

I'm glad to see the South is still with us. I'm not surprised that the pro-American rallies are so big. But just what happened to the anti-war protestors and why are they so quiet?

[George W. Bush]

Just watch the silence of the US media about this...

Ya think?

[AmericanInTokyo]

I disagree.

The silent, pro-US majority in S. Korea were never radicalized (they were too busy working and were not unemployed, naive college students, or professional rabble rousers with tons of free time), just as in the United States (take a look around at the war demonstrations in the US, both pro and con. Now until today, just who is turning out the greater mass of numbers of people?). But does it reflect the true American grassroots sentiment?

This is combined with a conspiracy of silence by liberal newsmedia everywhere, including US and South Korean, which turns a blind eye to pro-US gatherings, and hypes to death those that spit on the US flag and call for surrender to tyranny.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Their parents threatened to cut their allowances!

[George W. Bush]

Their parents threatened to cut their allowances!

"Sanji, if I see you on the TV or in the paper protesting the U.S. again, you can pay your own tuition. And your own car payments!"

You might have discovered the cause of the present quiet of the South Korean Left.

[OldFriend]

There have been huge PRO AMERICA rallies in South Korea all along. It's just that the media chose NOT to cover those events.

[Jumper]

Funny, word leaks out of the "once" hermit kingdom.... My wife is Korean and she can't tell me about
"many" proAmerican rallies.... I've got a lot of friends there and they say its is safe and pleasant to live in Korea, also that the Media has made too much of the protests against the US. Being a North Korean Hugger for the students/President Roh in the South is akin to being a tree-hugger in the US.... Always finds favor in the ivory towers of academia and the press, but never with those who actually work and pay bills.

[dfwgator]

It's like I always say, if you really want to see some massive rallies, just have the US announce that we are pulling out of all of our foreign bases.