Solidarity Movements

nationalism in Korea is quite unlike anywhere else.....a society dubbing their troup the "Dr. Hwang Fan Club" exists and hold public rallies in support of his research and contribution to skyrocketing nationalism.....independence from Japan also enjoys unwavering support, further bolstering the mighty Korean spirit.....these two parties joined forces for a large demonstration outside of the theatre for the perfroming arts last weekend.....present was also a large gathering of Buddhists, which was unusual, given that Buddhists are generally passive and also don't seem likely candidates to vouch for stem cell research.....the curiosity lies in how Dr. Hwang is related to the philosophy of Buddhism

this opened with a traditional Korean dance which was uplifting and visually stimulating.....then several ex-military personnel gave speeches (battle-cries) and the mood became not unlike German pro-war bolstering.....very hive-oriented and almost Stalinist.....the speaker would shout something into the microphone.....everyone would cheer and wave flags.....he would shriek even louder into the microphone.....everyone would wave their flags even more vigorously and cheer even louder

a man approached me and my friends, sputtering in Korean.....i asked for a translation:

"what did that man say?"
"he says i shouldn't have brought you here and that white people are not welcome"

within 3 minutes, our progress was again halted.....however, this man spoke English and eagerly explained his cause to us.....radical differences of personal opinion waver not the steadfastness of Korean protesting/pride mongering

considering the tone and mood at the rally, that of non-violent protesting, it was interesting to see it balanced by an equally impressive number of riot police blockading the streets