S. Korean Villagers March Against U.S.

SEOUL — About 2,000 villagers and activists clashed with riot police Tuesday, demanding closure of a U.S. military bombing range on South Korea’s west coast, police said.

Protesters shouted anti-U.S. slogans and threw rocks as they tried to march into the bombing range near Mae Hyang, southwest of Seoul, police said.

Police, holding plastic shields locked together in front of them, blocked the march.

Villagers have long demanded the relocation of the nearby Kooni Range, and anti-U.S. protests have increased since early May, when a U.S. fighter jet with engine trouble dropped six bombs on the range.

Villagers said that six people were slightly injured and that walls were cracked and windows shattered by the impact. But U.S. and Korean military investigators said the bombs caused no injuries or property damage.

South Korea’s Defense Ministry has ruled out moving the range and instead intends to relocate 236 homes that are close to it--a plan opposed by villagers.

Villagers said one activist was slightly injured in the clashes, but police could not confirm it. Police said no arrests were made.

Civic and leftist groups have seized on the controversy over the bombing range to mount anti-U.S. protests, demanding the withdrawal of U.S. troops in South Korea. There are 37,000 American soldiers stationed here under a defense treaty.