Even on the 5th, when heavy snow fell in the metropolitan area, rallies between supporters and opponents of President Yoon Seok-yeol continued around the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. To avoid the strong cold, they wrapped themselves in silver foil or wore raincoats and participated in the rally. As the arrest warrant for President Yoon issued by the court was valid until the 6th, tensions between both sides increased. Supporters shouted, “If we hold out until tomorrow, we will win,” while the opposing camp urged, “Arrest the leaders of the rebellion immediately.”
● Pros and cons rally in front of the official residence despite heavy snow
At 7:30 a.m. on this day, at Hannam Elementary School, the ‘Emergency Action for Immediate Resignation of Yoon Seok-yeol and Great Social Reform’ (Emergency Action), gathered by People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy and others, continued the rally that had started the previous day. They held up pickets that read, ‘Dismiss and arrest Yoon Seok-yeol’ and ‘Disband the People’s Power Party that sympathizes with the rebellion, arrest the rebellion leader Yoon Seok-yeol!’ and called for impeachment and arrest. As of 5:30 p.m. that day, police unofficially estimated that 12,000 people had gathered. At a press conference, the emergency action called on the High-ranking Public Officials Crime Investigation Agency and the police to arrest the president as soon as possible. Kim Eun-jung, chairman of the Climate Crisis Emergency Response Committee, said, “The starting point is to impeach (President Yoon) as soon as possible and arrest him for treason, and if he is not arrested without delay, it will lead to greater public resistance.”
Lee Sang-ah (24), a college student whom I met at the rally the day before, said, “Looking at the president’s actions, it seemed like he was above the law, so I came out over the weekend to correct this.”
On the other hand, supporters of the president held rallies such as the ‘National Sunday Joint Service’ about 600 meters away. As of 5:30 p.m. that day, police unofficially estimated that 9,000 people had gathered. Those who had stayed up all night and attended the rally the previous day were holding pickets that read, ‘We will fight together with President Yoon Seok-yeol’ and ‘Our New Year’s wish is the arrest of Lee Jae-myung.’ Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon of Sarang Jeil Church said at around 1:40 p.m., “The arrest warrant is valid for 6 days. When he shouted, “If we hold out until tomorrow, it will be our victory,” President Yoon’s supporters cheered.
Supporters of President Yoon chanted, “Let’s protect the Republic of Korea,” “Let’s protect Yoon Seok-yeol,” and “Arrest Lee Jae-myung.” Choi Yong-jae (72), who came from Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, said, “I came here because I didn’t know whether the Corruption Investigation Office would come or not, but I came because it is a war situation where we have to protect the president.” Dozens of wreaths supporting the president were lined up near Hannam-daero 36-gil. On the wreath ribbon were phrases such as ‘The people support Park Jong-jun, the Chief of the National Security Service, who saved the country.’ Previously, on the 3rd, the Corruption Investigation Office attempted to arrest the President, but failed due to being blocked by the Secret Service.
● Two people arrested for assaulting police… Citizens complain of inconvenience, “Why are the roads blocked?”
On the 5th, a heavy snow warning went into effect in Seoul from 8:30 a.m., and heavy snow fell in various places. Even though visibility was difficult due to the falling snow, the number of rally participants continued to increase. Protest participants were heavily armed with padding and hats, or sat on the streets and sidewalks with Styrofoam and insulating plastic on the floor. As the roads froze, some participants even provided guidance around the area, saying, “The sidewalk is slippery, so go down the road.”
Mr. Lee, in his 30s, who supports President Yoon, said, “I thought it was right to come to the rally even if it snowed because the arrest warrant expires tomorrow.” On the other hand, Dae-su Han (70), who is calling for arrest and impeachment, wrapped his body in silver foil and said, “I was so angry (about not being arrested) that I stayed up all night since yesterday.” “It’s okay to be cold,” he said.
Shouts were exchanged between the president’s supporters and opponents. The pro-impeachment camp raised the slogan, “Arrest rebellion leader Yoon Seok-yeol immediately.” Then, President Yoon’s supporters raised their fists and shouted, “Lee Jae-myung! He responded with “Arrest him!” Supporters exchanged harsh insults towards the opponents, such as “commies” and “You bastards,” and opponents shouted “Lift up the Taegeukgi” towards the supporters.
The previous day (the 4th), two members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) were arrested on charges of assaulting police at a rally site. They are suspected of assaulting a police officer who blocked them while marching toward the presidential residence in Hannam-dong around 12:30 noon on the 4th (obstruction of official duties).
On the weekend, police set up barricades near Hannam Elementary School and around the official residence in Hannam-dong and restricted citizen traffic. On this day, the police deployed about 2,000 people from about 30 mobile units near the official residence and set up a police cordon on the sidewalk and roadway in front of the official residence. Some citizens complained to the police when they experienced inconveniences in passing. Citizen Park Ok-sun (65) said, “Does it make sense to cross the street right in front of you and then go around the overpass?” The city of Seoul plans to implement public transportation detours as roads are expected to be closed due to the impeachment rally near the official residence in Hannam-dong on the 6th.
Reporter Lee Soo-yeon [email protected]
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