Torch relay underway in South Korea under protest threat
The torch relay is set to take place in North Korea next
Sunday, 27, Apr 2008 10:17
The Olympic torch relay has begun in South Korea's capital city of Seoul under tight security amid threats of protests.
The torch relay started from the stadium used to host the 1988 Olympics in the city and will complete a journey of 22 kms before moving to North Korea.
Human rights groups in South Korea have vowed to protest against China's repatriation of refugees coming from North Korea back to the authoritarian state. Authorities have warned protesters to keep demonstrations peaceful or face arrest,
Yesterday, three people were arrested and four injured during the Olympic torch relay in Japan which took place under heavy security.
The route taken by the torch saw sloganeering from pro-Tibet activists, anti-China Japanese nationalists as well as supporters of China. All demonstrations took place under heavy security as Japanese police upgraded security in the city to a level usually associated with the country's Emperor.
The Olympic flame's round-the-world journey from Athens to China has seen fierce protests in London, Paris and San Francisco as protesters called for greater freedom for the Chinese territory of Tibet in light of a recent crackdown by the country's authorities on protestors marking the anniversary of an uprising in 1958.
Security was tightened on the Asian leg of the tour as it moved from Pakistan to India to Japan and now the Korean peninsula.