CAMP RED CLOUD, South Korea — Between 40 and 50 people will gather for a wreath-laying ceremony Friday at the site where two girls died after being struck by a U.S. military vehicle in 2002, South Korean organizers said Wednesday.
The Progressive Union of Northern Kyeonggi Province registered the gathering for 11 a.m. to noon at the Highway 56 site in Yangju, near Dongducheon. They are also registered to march toward Mugun-ri by 2:30 p.m.
U.S. Army Garrison-Red Cloud official reports expect the demonstrators to carry banners and chant slogans but remain peaceful.
In 2003, about 100,000 people demonstrated in Seoul on the first anniversary of the deaths of South Koreans Shin Hyo-sun and Shim Mi-son, both 13 when they died.
Each year since, the protests have become considerably smaller.
The military’s slow reaction to the deaths at the time has since become a case study on civil-military relations for incoming 2nd Infantry Division commanders.
In recent years, 2nd ID soldiers have worked at the Shin and Shim family farms and given their condolences for the deaths.
Stars and Stripes reporter Hwang Hae-rym contributed to this report.
