Justice Network and Liberty Solidarity Choose Press Conference After Rally Ban
Conflict Between Both Sides Surrounding Statue of Girl Expected to Continue
As gatherings in Jongno city have been banned to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the Justice and Memory Solidarity decided to hold the Wednesday Demonstration in the form of a press conference at 12 noon on the 8th. At the same time, conservative groups are also scheduled to hold a press conference nearby, creating a tense atmosphere. The photo shows the Statue of Peace in front of the former Japanese Embassy in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the day. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@
[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] With the weekly Wednesday demonstrations by the Justice and Memory Solidarity (Jeonguiyeon) and rallies by conservative groups simultaneously held around the Statue of Peace in front of the former Japanese Embassy now completely banned, both sides are continuing their gatherings in the form of 'press conferences.' They are taking advantage of the fact that press conferences can be held freely without prior notification, unlike assemblies.
On the 8th, Jeonguiyeon held the 1447th regular Wednesday demonstration in front of the former Japanese Embassy in Jongno-gu. Since Jongno-gu designated the area around the Statue of Peace as a no-assembly zone, the event was conducted as a press conference, which does not require prior notification. This is a fallback measure to continue the Wednesday demonstrations without interruption. Earlier, Jongno-gu announced on the 3rd that it would completely ban assemblies around the Statue of Peace in Jongno-gu until the infectious disease crisis alert level 'Severe' is lifted.
The conservative group Liberty Solidarity also chose the press conference format to hold a counter-rally to the left of the Statue of Peace. However, since the event could be considered an unreported assembly disguised as a press conference if it took on the character of a rally, both sides held their gatherings on a relatively smaller scale than usual. Before the Wednesday demonstration began, Jeonguiyeon checked the identities of the gathered press and conducted temperature checks one by one. They also asked citizens who came to support the demonstration to step slightly away from the press conference area.
The police deployed officers around the Statue of Peace to prepare for any possible clashes between the two sides and repeatedly broadcast announcements asking the organizers to control the crowd to prevent large gatherings, in line with the purpose of the press conferences.
As the two groups continued their previous rallies in the form of press conferences, the conflict between them, which was expected to subside due to the assembly ban, has continued for some time. The confrontation between Jeonguiyeon and Liberty Solidarity has been ongoing for over a month since various allegations surrounding Jeonguiyeon and Democratic Party lawmaker Yoon Mi-hyang began to surface. Every week, both groups have held simultaneous rallies around the Statue of Peace where the Wednesday demonstrations take place, causing ongoing conflicts. Liberty Solidarity occupied the rally spot in front of the Statue of Peace where Jeonguiyeon had held Wednesday demonstrations for 28 years, and even the alternative location to which Jeonguiyeon reluctantly moved was taken over by another conservative group, leading to continuous disputes over the venue. Meanwhile, a university student group has staged a sit-in protest at the rally site occupied by Liberty Solidarity, vowing to protect the Statue of Peace from conservative groups. On the 6th, Liberty Solidarity filed a complaint against this group for violating the Assembly and Demonstration Act. After the press conference that day, Liberty Solidarity also plans to file complaints with the Supreme Prosecutors' Office against the Jongno District Mayor, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Chief, and the Jongno Police Station Chief for abuse of authority and neglect of duty.
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