Citizens complain of inconvenience due to noise and traffic control from consecutive gatherings
Over the weekend, another large-scale rally was held throughout downtown Seoul, including Gwanghwamun and Yeouido. Visitors and citizens complained of inconvenience due to noise and traffic congestion.
On the 27th, the Korean Federation of Churches, a conservative Protestant group, held a ‘2 million Korean church joint service and large prayer meeting’ at Gwanghwamun in Jung-gu, Seoul, Seoul City Hall, and Yeouido Park in Yeongdeungpo-gu. At 1:55 p.m., organizers estimated 1.1 million people (police estimated 230,000) gathered at City Hall and in front of Seoul Station, shouting slogans against same-sex marriage and the enactment of anti-discrimination laws.
On this day, attendees of the rally sang hymns and held picket signs that said, “Oppose the anti-discrimination law that promotes reverse discrimination.”
Due to the rally on this day, traffic was restricted from early morning in the sections of Sejong-daero (from Gwanghwamun to the Seoul Station area) and Yeoui-daero (from the southern end of Mapo Bridge to the Seoul Bridge area).
The police have been operating the lanes next to the assembly venues, such as Yulgok-ro and Sajik-ro, as variable lanes from midnight on this day, when large electronic display boards and other stages are set up. Some sections of Seosomun-ro and Eulji-ro are managed as one-way traffic. It is expected that traffic restrictions will be lifted around 5 p.m., when the rally ends.
Meanwhile, the Liberty Unification Party, led by Pastor Kwang-Hoon Jeon, held a regular service on the road near Dongwha Duty Free Shop in Jung-gu, Seoul from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on this day. The number of people who participated in the regular joint worship service on this day reached 10,000 as of the police report.
The entire Sejong-daero area was in trouble due to the rally that lasted all day.
Park Hee-jeong (34), who visited the Gwanghwamun branch of Kyobo Bookstore in Jung-gu, Seoul, near the rally site around 2 pm on this day, said, “I was planning to buy a book and go to a nearby cafe to read, but the sound of the hymns was too loud, so I thought I would just go home early.” The police said, “We are minimizing inconvenience to citizens by deploying about 200 experienced officers around the rally.”
Reporter Lim Jae-hyuk [email protected]
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