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South Korean protesters: passion, endurance, occasional violence in 'war without guns'
• SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- South Korea's most tenacious protesters compare themselves to warriors, and their demonstrations to a life-or-death struggle against evil.
• They are known around the world for their passion, persistence and flamboyance. Their demonstrations -- spontaneous and meticulously planned, large and small -- form a near-constant backdrop for the 10 million people living in Seoul, the capital.
• Their causes are rooted in the country's tumultuous history: a brutal Japanese colonization until 1945, the subsequent division of the Korean Peninsula, three years of vicious warfare and decades of military dictatorship that gave way to democracy as South Korea became one of Asia's strongest economies.
• The country's power structure, however, remains dominated by a wealthy clique and its cronies. And that's one reason for the protesters' intensity, said Robert Kelly, a political scientist at Pusan National University in South Korea.
• "People have grievances, and when the political structure is closed to their grievances, they go underground or they take to the streets," Kelly said. "The biggest successes in opening up this closed democracy did not come by electing people ... but by going out in the streets and rioting."
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House Republicans seek answers on Obama climate plan as proposal on new power plants nears
• WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama's plans to curb the gases blamed for global warming are heading to their first test, a House hearing in which administration officials make their case before skeptical lawmakers.
• The energy panel meeting Wednesday comes just days before a deadline for the Environmental Protection Agency to release a revised proposal setting the first-ever limits on carbon dioxide from newly built power plants.
• The rule, which will ultimately force the EPA to tackle emissions from existing power plants as well, is a key component of Obama's strategy to tackle climate change. It is also one of the most controversial, since addressing the largest uncontrolled source of carbon pollution will have ramifications for the power sector and everyone who flips on a light switch.
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