(Untitled)

[common_as_stone]

just spent the last hour and a half chasing marching protesters through Seomyeon, some of whom were playing games of dodging the riot police who were following/monitoring/directing them. fun times. certainly makes you feel alive. i hope the pictures turn out okay.

Comments

[zenravn]

korean riot police are awesome! they're the closest thing i've ever seen to storm troopers.

[common_as_stone]

yet somehow still polite at the same time (some of those protesters were belligerent - i can't help but imagine how intolerant our police would have been in that same situation) their commanders kept shouting out orders and they would all respond in unison. very precise and orderly. almost like a sports team who know all the plays forwards and backwards.

[zenravn]

many korean riots are scheduled around school finals and the rioters call the police ahead of time, i hear. it's the ones that don't that get the beatdown. weird.

[common_as_stone]

yeah, this was definitely an approved demonstration. that didn't stop the students from trying to fuck with the police though. all that collective energy makes them feel a little more invincible than they actually are. if it wasn't for the police practicing restraint i'm sure things could have been much uglier. it's a strange experience standing behind a row of fifty korean riot police and photographing the chanting mob on the other side.

[counterword]

What were they rioting over?

[common_as_stone]

not rioting. just protesting.

there is a huge popular movement in Korea that is against the importing of US beef into the country, which the current government has been facilitating. you can read more info here.