Miryang and the Politics of Power in South Korea

In Miryang, a small city 278km south east of Seoul, a group of local residents and farmers have blocked plans by the state power company, KEPCO, to erect high-voltage transmission towers in the area. The struggle has drawn the sympathies of students and activists from across the country, and has thrown into relief the continuing conflict between development and the state, on one hand, and democracy and tradition on the other.