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Protesters Killed in Battle Over Redevelopment in Korea

Posted by: Tim Halbur

16 February 2009 - 7:00am

Violent activists threw gasoline bombs from the top of a building in Seoul, protesting forced evictions to make way for new development. Police stormed the building, and the resulting fire killed six.

"The incident last month marked a lethal turn in South Korea's redevelopment wars, heightening public resentment against aggressive government urban renovation policies that many say victimize the poor -- dismissed here as cheol geomin, or squatters.

Prosecutors today are expected to release the results of their inquiry into whether officers used excessive force, but few protesters expected charges to be filed against the police. In fact, authorities have blamed activists for the fire. "They knew it would be dangerous to use Molotov cocktails," one prosecutor said."

Full Story: South Korea redevelopment battles turn deadly
Source: The Los Angeles Times, February 9, 2009
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