Kwangju, Bush and Iraq

The main stage for the May 18 Kwangju memorial. This was taken May 16, and this backdrop was taken down before the evening events took place. Note the pictures of the Iraqi prisoner abuse in the upper right hand corner -- this abuse was linked to several incidents of U.S. "atrocities" against Koreans, including the NoGunRi incident and the Kwangju massacre. While the Iraq war was certainly exploited by various interest groups in Kwangju this May, it is also relatively unpopular with hte general South Korean population, particularly the deployment of South Korean troops. This unpopularity will only rise with the recent kidnapping and threat of beheading of a South Korean citizen in Iraq.