S Korean Farmers to Stage Peaceful Protest at Wto Gathering

HONG KONG, Nov 30 Asia Pulse - A group of South Korean farmers plan to stage peaceful protests at next month's ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization's (WTO) to be held in Hong Kong, an official for the group said Tuesday.

"We plan to adhere to the law when we make our positions known during the WTO gathering," Kwak Gil-sung, a representative for the Korea Peasants League (Jeonnong) told a press conference, adding the league has no plans to carry out violent protest.

Kwak and six others are in Hong Kong to make preparations for the farmers' group's planned rallies during the Dec. 13-18 meeting.

He added that the Hong Kong police have explained that they will enforce rules designed to ensure public safety.

The peasant league said about 1,500 protesters will converge in Hong Kong for the ministerial talks. Another 500 protestors from the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions are also expected to take part in rallies.

The WTO talks are expected to discuss scrapping or lowering various trade barriers, including the opening of agricultural markets of developing countries, including South Korea.

Last year, South Korea agreed to increase its rice import quota to 7.96 per cent of its total domestic consumption from the current 4 per cent. In return, it was also allowed to delay the opening of its rice market by 10 more years until 2014.

In 2003, a South Korean farmer committed suicide in protest in Cancun, Mexico, where a WTO meeting was taking place.

(Yonhap)