Seoul, November 16. Fierce protests accompanied the arrival today in South Korea of U.S. president George W. Bush who is to participate in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum beginning this Friday, reports PL.

Thousands of people protested the visit of Bush and also demonstrated against a government plan being debated by Parliament to liberalize the rice market.

Chanting slogans and carrying anti-U.S. banners, the protesters withstood police aggressions.

The night before, posters portrayed the U.S. president stabbing a knife into a bag of rice in reference to Seouls commitment to increase imports of this grain in response to the demands of the World Trade Organization.

During the protests there were confrontations between anti-riot police and South Korean farmers, resulting in dozens of injuries.

South Korea plans to reduce protectionist restrictions in the rice market (quota limits and high tariffs on imports) by 2014.

The APEC annual meeting in the South Korean city of Busan, in which the heads of state of 21 countries and territories are to participate, is dedicated to the liberalization of the world market.

The APEC is made up of Peru, Chile, Mexico, Australia, Brunei, Canada, South Korea, China, the United States, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

Before the summit, the U.S. president is expected to meet with the South Korean president, Roh Moo-hyun in the city of Gyongju.

This is Bushs second stopover on an eight-day Asian tour that will also take him to China and Mongolia.

Bush arrived in South Korea from Japan where he met with his firmest Asian ally, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. There he stressed the importance of the Tokyo- Washington alliance.