Migrant workers continue protest outside South Korean cathedral

Published: 2004-01-02

SEOUL, South Korea (CNS) -- A group of 101 migrant workers has continued a sit-in protest outside the cathedral in Seoul despite church requests that they leave. The protesters are demanding an end to what they say is police harassment amid a government crackdown on illegal migrant workers, reported UCA News, an Asian church news agency based in Thailand. Cathedral officials issued a statement Dec. 23 asking the 90 foreign and 11 Korean workers to remove the tents they set up for their protest on the grounds of Myongdong Cathedral. In the past, cathedral premises have been a sanctuary for pro-democracy activists, striking workers and the oppressed looking to demonstrate, protest or appeal to public opinion. The cathedral earned this reputation by sheltering hundreds of people who protested against former military ruler Chun Doo-hwan in 1987. By Jan. 2, the protesters remained on cathedral grounds and had no plans to leave, said Kim Hyuk, a protester and official of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions. The workers started their protest Nov. 15, two days before the Korean government began its crackdown on illegal foreign workers.

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