A Man in His 50s Held a High-Altitude Protest on Hangang Bridge... Arrested by Police After 5 Hours

A man who caused a commotion on the Hangang Bridge in Seoul, leading to traffic congestion during the morning commute, came down on his own after five hours.

At around 5:52 a.m. on the 17th, a report was received that a man in his 50s had climbed onto the Hangang Bridge, prompting police and firefighters to rush to the scene.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the police on the 17th, the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul arrested a man in his 50s, identified as Mr. A, on the spot for violating the Outdoor Advertising Act.

At around 5:52 a.m. that day, the police and fire authorities responded to a report that a man had climbed onto the Hangang Bridge and persuaded Mr. A to come down. Mr. A hung a banner under the name of an organization called "Daehan Gukgukhoe," which read "We urge the government and ruling party to invoke the national emergency powers," and sat on the steel structure of the bridge to stage a protest.

The fire authorities deployed 67 personnel and 16 vehicles to the scene to rescue Mr. A. During the rescue operation, two lanes were closed from the northern intersection to the southern intersection of the Hangang Bridge, causing severe traffic congestion during the morning commute.

Mr. A came down from the bridge at around 10:52 a.m., five hours later, by crane.

It is known that Mr. A staged a similar protest on the Olympic-daero in Dongjak-gu on the morning of the 14th, hanging the same banner and protesting for about three hours.

The police plan to conduct a detailed investigation into Mr. A’s actions.