The Black Lives Matter supporters who descended on the US embassy in Seoul over the past two weeks found another demonstration already taking place: scores of hardy activists who for months have protested over Donald Trump’s demand that South Korea quintuple the amount it pays for hosting American troops.
“They are here just to sell their weapons to us,” says one of the protesters. Banners held aloft by one group read: “US imperialism means ‘I can’t breathe’”, in a reference to the protests that have rocked the US.
In a country whose alliance with the US is often dubbed a “relationship forged in blood” for its roots in the Korean war, there has always been a strain of anti-American sentiment, particularly among younger, leftwing groups. But the anger over the current US president has boiled over in the past year, prompting clashes between protesters and police, and driving such views further into the political mainstream.