By Jack Kim
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean activists said on Mondaythey planned a large candlelight rally to protest U.S.President George W. Bush's visit on Tuesday and demand the twocountries scrap a widely criticised beef import deal.
Bush is expected in Seoul to shore up support for NorthKorea's decision to disable its nuclear arms programme and thetrip is likely to be his last as president to East Asia beforegoing to Bangkok and then Beijing to attend the 2008 Olympics.
"We oppose the visit by Bush who sells U.S. beef with itsrisk of mad cow disease that threatens the health and lives ofthe public," a coalition of activist groups said in astatement.
The groups have been behind two months of at times violentstreet protests against the young government of President LeeMyung-bak, sparked by his deal to end a ban on U.S. beefimports.
Lee agreed the deal in April during his first overseas tripafter taking office when Bush hosted him at Camp David, only tosee it backfire at home.
"Just as Lee paid a big price to stay at Camp David inApril, Bush will be looking to go home with a big catch," theprotest coalition said.
The street protests have since dwindled as the summerholiday season has arrived but police said they will be on highalert for the short Bush visit. He arrives on Tuesday andleaves the following day.
The election of Lee, a conservative former CEO, had beenexpected to mark a fresh start to ties.
Relations had become strained under Lee's left-leaningpredecessor who won office five years earlier amid a wave ofanti-Americanism and differences on how to deal with NorthKorea, which Bush once dubbed part of an axis of evil.
Lee came to the presidency with promises to get muchtougher with the North if it did not give up its nuclearweapons development.
The protesters' grievances include a free-trade deal signedlast year between South Korea and the United States that someestimates said could lift their annual $80 billion two-waytrade by as much as a quarter.
Surveys show a majority of South Koreans support the deal.Neither countries' legislature has ratified it.
Lee struck the beef import deal in April after U.S.lawmakers said Congress would not approve the free-trade pactunless Seoul fully opened its market to American beef.
In June, South Korean and U.S. trade officials reworked thebeef deal to mollify a Korean public worried about mad cowdisease.
(Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by Jonathan Thatcher)
