SEOUL, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- Tens of thousands of Koreans rallied peacefully in Seoul Sunday to protest the Group of 20 economic summit there this week.
Thousands of armored riot police surrounded the rally by workers, activist and students, The New York Times reported. Organizers said 40,000 people came, but police estimated half that number, the local news media reported.
The main gathering called by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions broke up just after nightfall, but a few thousand remained for a candlelight sit-in. A temporary law imposed for the G20 bans marches after sunset, and police used pepper spray on some of the demonstrators.
The Federation of Korean Trade Unions, the largest union group in South Korea, has said it will not stage any protests during the G20, which opens Thursday.
The South Korean government was mobilizing 45,000 officers and putting military units on alert for the summit, which will gather 25 heads of state, corporate leaders and officials from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
