Protesters gather in South Korea ahead of Bush visit
Tuesday, 05 Aug 2008 10:02
Thousands of protestors expected to meet US president George Bush when he arrives in South Korea
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Thousands of protestors are expected to meet US president George Bush when he arrives in South Korea later today.
Mr Bush is expected to discuss controversial plans to resume US beef imports when he meets with South Korea's president Lee Myung-Bak.
The deal is hugely controversial and the decision to resume imports after a five-year suspension has led to mass demonstrations and a huge political backlash.
At least 20,000 security personnel are reported to have been deployed to handle demonstrators when Mr Bush arrives in Seoul.
The US president will visit Thailand after South Korea, before he heads to China for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.
Human rights activists have called for Mr Bush to boycott the games, but he declared last week that he had decided "not politicise the games; this is for athletics".