Korean groups plan anti-U.S. protests

SEOUL (Reuters) -- Tens of thousands of police will be on high alert in South Korea's capital Seoul and at the World Cup venue of Taegu on Monday to head off possible protests when the co-hosts play the United States. (U.S. to enter red cauldron.)

Police announced the deployment on Saturday after students and workers unveiled plans for anti-U.S. rallies in Seoul and in Taegu, the venue for Monday's Group D clash.

"Officers will be on high alert at major places where fans are likely to gather, including the Kwanghwamun district in central Seoul," said Lee Hae-wang, a senior officer at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.

"We will tighten security against any trouble or accidental incidents by emotional crowds, while trying to keep traffic flowing," Lee said.

South Korea is co-hosting the World Cup with Japan.

There are 37,000 U.S. troops based in South Korea to ward off attack from the North. Students and teenagers tend to have a more critical view of that presence than parents and grandparents who witnessed the U.S. role in the 1950-53 Korean war and afterwards.

Civic groups and unions have announced plans to stage a funeral ceremony at Kwangwhamun on Monday for a worker who recently died in an incident involving high-voltage wire at a U.S. base at Paju, 50 km (20 miles) north of Seoul.

"The ceremony will take place in front of the U.S. embassy and after that workers and students will march in the streets," said Lee Seung-hun, an official at the militant Korean Confederation of Trade Unions.

Amid euphoric scenes across the country and in central Seoul, South Korea beat Poland 2-0 on Tuesday to seal their first World Cup finals victory at the 15th attempt.

Some 150,000 fans watched the game on four large television screens at the Kwanghwamun intersection, in the heart of Seoul and just a few hundred meters (yards) away from the heavily guarded U.S. embassy compound.

Lee said more than 200,000 people were expected to flock back to the business district on Monday to watch the game against the United States, who won their first game 3-2 against Portugal.

Local newspapers said officials planned to erect extra giant television screens at a plaza outside city hall, further away from the U.S. embassy, to try to dilute the crowds.

Security in Taegu tight

The U.S. embassy said on Friday it would close at noon on Monday to allow its staff to watch the match.

Security in Taegu is also tight. President Kim Dae-jung, who watched the victory over Poland, would not attend the match against the United States, his office said.

The U.S. team has the toughest security of any of the 16 teams playing South Korea -- a post-September 11 precaution more than a defense against anti-U.S. protests by South Koreans.

But police are taking no chances.

"About 4,000 officers will be patrolling inside and outside the Taegu stadium," said Lee Sung-ho, a spokesman at Taegu's Metropolitan City Police.

"An additional 25 squads consisting of 3,000 highly trained policemen will be dispatched in support as well," he said.

Anti-U.S. sentiment in South Korea was fanned when Kim Dong-sung, a South Korean short track speedskater, was disqualified for impeding U.S. skater Apolo Anton Ohno in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.

The disqualification outraged many Koreans and the U.S. skater even got e-mail death threats.

Local media reported on Saturday that "Red Devils," South Korean supporters, plan to sport plastic bowls on their heads at the U.S. match -- similar in shape to speedskating helmets -- with the slogan "Give us our gold medal" written on them.

The match scheduled on Monday is vital for each side as they vie for a place in the second round and shake off disappointing campaigns in the 1998 finals in France.

Cloudy skies are likely but no rain is expected during Monday's match with a temperature a muggy 31 Celsius (89 Fahrenheit), the Korean Meteorological Agency said.

The U.S. troops help a 600,000-strong South Korean military force safeguard a 1953 truce with North Korea that in the absence of a peace treaty has left the two Koreas technically at war.

North Korea has about one million men in its armed forces, many forward deployed near the Demilitarised Zone border.

U.S. coach displays diplomacy ahead of Korean game

Coach Bruce Arena attempted to take the heat out of the United States' World Cup clash against co-hosts South Korea with a family photo opportunity on Saturday.

Tens of thousands of police will be on high alert in South Korea's capital Seoul and at the venue in Taegu to head off possible anti-American protests when the teams meet on Monday.

Before a news conference at a central Seoul hotel, Arena posed for pictures with his sister-in-law Judy Spellman and her two children Jason and Emma, aged 14 and nine respectively.

Both children were adopted from Seoul's Eastern Social Welfare Society and live in the United States.

"I am not aware of any political issue. We consider South Korea our friends," Arena told the news conference.

Striker Joe-Max Moore added: "I haven't noticed any of it, to be honest. Maybe I haven't been reading the papers. So far everybody has been very friendly. No problems at all."

Police announced their deployment on Saturday after students and workers unveiled plans for anti-U.S. rallies in Seoul and in Taegu. There are 37,000 U.S. troops based in South Korea to ward off attack from the communist North.

Students and teenagers tend to have a more critical view of that presence than parents and grandparents who witnessed the U.S. role in the 1950-53 Korean war and afterwards.

Shoulder-to-shoulder

Before their surprise opening victory over Portugal, the U.S. players visited the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) at Panmunjom, the division between North and South Korea. Arena said Koreans were allies of the United States.

"We have been to the DMZ and saw soldiers [from both countries] working shoulder to shoulder," he said. "I don't know where it has come from [the anti-American suggestions]. Someone said it might be something to do with the Winter Olympics."

Forward Landon Donovan said Monday's clash was not about politics.

"It is just another game," he said. "It's a World Cup game, of course, so it is special. They have been fantastic to us. Everybody in the country has been great to us."

The two nations also clashed over a judging row at the 1988 Seoul Olympics when American light-middleweight Roy Jones lost out to a South Korean in a highly controversial gold medal decision.

In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington, security has been tight at the U.S. team hotel in Seoul where there are both Korean and American officers in place.

U.S. team press officer Jim Moorhouse said measures had not been increased ahead of Monday's game.

"The security hasn't been stepped up because it is impossible for it to go higher than it is," he said.

 

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