Justice minister vows to punish violent protesters

The country's justice minister said Sunday those who have orchestrated a massive rally downtown and violent protesters there will be harsh punished in accordance with related laws.

Police said they arrested 51 people at a massive rally in downtown Seoul the previous day against the government's education and labor policies, the biggest of its kind in years.

Around 130,000 demonstrators from 53 labor unions and civic organizations took to the streets Saturday in the Gwanghwamun area in protest of the Park Geun-hye government's plans to adopt state-authored history textbooks for secondary students and revamp the labor market.

By the number of participants, it was the largest protest rally in the country since 2008, when massive demonstrations were staged in protest against the then Lee Myung-bak government's resumption of U.S. beef imports.

"The protest turned violent and some participants have prepared steel pipes for violence in advance," Justice Minister Kim Hyun-woong said in a statement. "We can not help but punish them in accordance with laws."

As the Saturday rally continued into the late night, it turned more violent with protesters brandishing metal pipes and riot police firing water cannons at the protesters.

A total of 51 demonstrators were rounded up in the one-day rally, with 49 of them booked for police investigation, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.

The violent demonstration also caused 29 demonstrators to be rushed to hospitals after sustaining injuries, according to reports.

Among the injured was a 69-year-old farmer, surnamed Baek, who suffered a brain hemorrhage after being knocked down by a police water cannon.

He was taken to Seoul National University Hospital and underwent surgery but remained in critical condition. 

Some riot police officers also sustained injuries although the exact number is not available.

Nine police buses, parked in the protest area to block the flow of demonstrators, were destroyed as protesters attacked the barricade of buses with ropes and clubs. (Yonhap)