Tens of Thousands People March in South Korea Anti-Government Protest

The rally will focus on a series of issues, including the government’s planned labor reforms, the opening of protected markets for a few agricultural goods, and the imposition of state-issued history textbooks in schools.

Police sprayed water on the crowd, estimated to number about 50,000, as a few protesters attempted to push through barricades at the rally outside City Hall in central Seoul.

Abe and South Korean President Park Geun-hye, when they met earlier this month for their first one-on-one talks since taking office, agreed to resolve the comfort women issue as soon as possible, and Park has urged Japan to present a solution that is “acceptable to the victims and deemed reasonable by the Korean people”.

The police arrested 51 people and are questioning them on various charges including illegal protest, assaulting police officers and destroying public equipment.

Officers also fired water cannons from above a portable wall nearby to disperse marchers who were trying to advance.

While police water cannons blasted their ranks, demonstrators tried to create breaches by tying ropes to buses and pulling at them.

Police said it was likely a few people had been injured, but could not give a figure.

Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions briefly clashed with police who unsuccessfully tried to detain KCTU President Han Sang-goon during a news conference, but there were no immediate reports of injuries.

Organisers of the protest said there would be a march toward the presidential Blue House, a move which is likely to spark a clash with police.

Police said they have detained 51 people and could possibly bring in more, including those who they believe might had larger roles in organizing the protests.

“If lawmakers try to pass the (government’s) bill that will make labor conditions worse, we will respond with a general strike and that will probably be in early December”, said Han, minutes before fleeing, while his colleagues prevented the police getting to him.

Student protesters say the new textbook might attempt to whitewash the brutal dictatorship of her father, President Park Chung-hee.

Around one-hundred-30-thousand demonstrators from 53 labor unions and civic groups took part in the protest, making it the largest since 2008, when citizens rallied against the government’s resumption of USA beef imports.