Thousands of South Koreans gathered in Seoul on Saturday in rival protests both supporting and opposing impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol. The demonstrations unfolded just a week after Yoon was impeached over his brief declaration of martial law.
Supporters and critics of the president stood only several hundred meters apart in the Gwanghwamun district, the heart of the capital. Despite the tense atmosphere, no clashes were reported as of 4 p.m. local time.
Yoon’s presidential powers have been suspended, but he remains in office pending a decision by the Constitutional Court on whether to remove him from office or restore his powers. He has not complied with summonses from authorities investigating whether his declaration of martial law on December 3, which he rescinded hours later, constituted insurrection.
Tens of thousands of anti-Yoon protesters, primarily in their 20s and 30s, waved K-pop light sticks and held signs reading slogans like “Arrest! Imprison! Insurrection chief Yoon Suk-yeol” to the backdrop of catchy tunes.
“I wanted to ask Yoon how he could do this to democracy in the 21st century,” said 27-year-old Cho Sung-hyo. “If he really has a conscience, he should step down.”
Meanwhile, several thousand pro-Yoon demonstrators, mainly older and conservative citizens, rallied to oppose his impeachment and support the restoration of his powers. “These rigged elections eat away at this country,” said Lee Young-su, a 62-year-old businessman. “We absolutely oppose impeachment.”
Yoon had justified his imposition of martial law by citing allegations of election hacking and the influence of “anti-state” pro-North Korean sympathizers—a claim denied by the National Election Commission.
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Rival protests over S. Korea's impeached President Yoon held in Seoul
cgtn.com
