MPs protest breakup of China meeting

A press conference in Beijing called by a delegation of South Korean MPs to publicize the plight of North Korean refugees in China was forcibly shut down by men they assert were Chinese state security agents. According to the MPs and reporters at the press conference, at least five plainclothes men turned off the lights in the hotel conference room and began shouting and pushing attendees out through the doors. Dae Il-do, one of the South Korean MPs, said the men refused to identify themselves and used force to try and clear the room. At least one journalist was hit on the head and several others reported being shoved. Another of the MPs said the incident cast a shadow over Beijing's capacity to host 2008 Summer Olympics. "I doubt whether a country like this can successfully hold the Olympic Games," said Kim Moon-soo.