Political Demonstrations in Chongno

Falun Gong member being tortured with an iron!
Chongno street, and especially the area directly in front of Pagoda Park (Tapgolkongwon) always seems to be the main venue for frequent anti-government protests. Strolling past today, however, was an anti-Chinese government protest, in which Falun Gong claims that more than 25,000 of their meditation practitioners have been sent to labor camps and over 1,000 to mental hospitals across China. The Chinese government claims, on the other hand, that this is a dangerous religious cult, but the Falun Gong brochures look very similar to that of several Korean meditation groups, who don't face any persecution here.
The scene of women being beaten inside cages, and irons being liberally applied to various body parts was very surreal. Korean couples licking ice creams and with shopping trips in mind, watched the unfolding torture in progress for a minute or two, before then continuing on their merry ways elsewhere. The gravity of all this seemed to be lost on them, although Falun Gong has been widely publicizing their persecution here for some time on many Korean campuses. I guess it was time to take it literally to the streets.