SEOUL,
December 2 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Amid continuing
anti-U.S. protests in South Korea, a civic delegation left for
the United States Monday, December 2, to demand a direct apology
from President George W. Bush over the acquittal of two U.S.
soldiers who killed two schoolgirls in a road accident, as
activists launched cyber attack on White House site.
The
seven-member delegation, led by Presbyterian church priest Hong
Keun-Soo, said members would seek to meet Bush and UN Secretary
General Kofi Annan during their 10-day trip, Agence
France-Presse (AFP) said.
Hong
heads a coalition of 130 South Korean civic groups which have
organized anti-U.S. protests since the 14-year-old girls were
crushed to death by a 50-tonne military vehicle on their way to
a birthday party on June 13.
"We
are visiting the United States to secure a direct apology from
Bush," it said in a statement.
"We
will also demand the U.S. court martial's verdict be nullified
to have the soldiers tried again in a Korean court," it
said.
Meanwhile,
an anti-U.S. rally tool place on Monday, December 2, near the
U.S. Embassy in Seoul.
South
Korean Catholic priests shout slogans during the rally. The
protesters demanded the withdrawal of all U.S. servicemen from
the Korean peninsula and handover of two U.S. soldiers to be
tried at a South Korean court.
A
U.S. military court cleared the soldiers of negligent homicide
two weeks ago. South Korean activists have since stepped up
protests, demanding a retrial of the soldiers.
Bush
last week offered an apology for the deaths through the U.S.
embassy in Seoul, but the gesture has failed to soothe public
anger here.
South
Korean activists and Internet users attacked the White House
computer server with electronic mail bombs twice on Sunday. It
was not known how many people were involved in the cyber attack.
South
Korean Internet users attacked the White House server at 0300
GMT. But the first cyber attack was "largely ineffective
due to an advanced filtering system at the White House," an
activist said.
The
attack was led by a coalition of 130 civic groups which have
organized protests since two 14-year-old girls were crushed to
death.
The
coalition said its second attack was launched at 1200 GMT, with
Internet users urged to bombard
"president@whitehouse.gov" with e-mails and flash
files at the same time.
 |
South Korean
Catholic priests shout slogans during an anti-U.S. rally near
the U.S. Embassy in Seoul
|
It
was not known how many people were involved in the attacks. Some
25 million people, more than half of the South Korean
population, have access to the Internet and regularly use email.
Meanwhile,
four students broke into a U.S. food supply base in Bupyeong
Sunday, December 1, on the western outskirts of Seoul, with two
of them climbing up a 30-meter (100-foot) high water tower for a
three-hour protest.
The
protesters called for the withdrawal of 37,000 U.S. troops
stationed in South Korea under a mutual defense pact dating to
the 1950-53 Korean War.
U.S.
military authorities issued a statement Monday condemning the
intrusion and asking that "appropriate legal actions"
be taken against the protesters by South Korean police and
prosecutors.
"We
do not condone illegal entry into U.S. government facilities,
violent demonstrations that could cause injuries to soldiers, or
those acts that infringe upon the rights and freedoms of
others," they said.
The
two acquitted U.S. soldiers left for the United States last
week.
Many
Koreans are angry that the soldiers walked free and that no one
has been held legally responsible for the deaths of the girls.
Under the Korean criminal justice system, the soldiers would
almost certainly have been jailed.
Under
an accord between Washington and Seoul, U.S. troops here come
under U.S. jurisdiction for crimes committed while on duty.
South
Korean civic groups and politicians have urged Washington to
revise the accord.
On
Monday, 27 lawmakers from different political parties here
signed a petition demanding Bush's direct apology.
They
also vowed to push for a parliamentary resolution demanding
South Korea exercise greater jurisdiction on crimes committed by
U.S. soldiers.
Anti-U.S.
sentiment escalated in South Korea, one of Washington's close
allies, after a U.S. military court cleared the soldiers of
negligent homicide two weeks ago.
U.S.
soldiers have been put under indefinite curfew in areas
controlled by 2nd Infantry Division, the core part of U.S.
forces in South Korea.
