Held Every Week Without Missing a Single Time This Year... Downtown Blocked Again by Gwanghwamun Rally

Police "Strict Investigation Policy Including Request for Arrest Warrants"

This weekend saw rallies where opposing camps faced off across Seoul Plaza. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) reportedly engaged in physical clashes with the police during the demonstrations.

On the afternoon of the 9th, members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) shouted slogans at the 2024 National Workers' Rally and 1st Resignation General Uprising held around Sungnyemun in Seoul to inherit the spirit of Jeon Tae-il.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

According to police and labor sources on the 10th, the day before, the progressive camp's "Yoon Seok-yeol Regime Resignation Movement Headquarters," which included the KCTU, the National People's Action, and the Progressive University Students Network, held the "1st General Rally for the Resignation of the Yoon Seok-yeol Regime" on Sejong-daero between Sungnyemun and Seoul City Hall. Meanwhile, between Seoul City Hall and Gwanghwamun Station, a counter-rally called the "11.9 Gwanghwamun National Revolution Rally," led by the conservative camp including the National Movement to Set the Republic of Korea Right and the Liberty Unification Party, took place as a response to the general rally.

Notably, the KCTU-hosted rally reportedly drew about 100,000 attendees according to the organizers (with 80,000 registered). The police estimated the attendance at around 30,000. Although only some lanes were permitted for the rally, participants occupied all lanes, resulting in the full closure of approximately 500 meters of the 10-lane Sejong-daero roadway connecting Sungnyemun to Gwanghwamun, which reportedly caused severe traffic congestion in the city center.

Additionally, police vehicle controls from Seosomun-ro near City Hall Station to Sejong-daero in front of City Hall caused traffic jams in that area as well. Police controls near Seoul Plaza and Daehanmun also led to continued inconvenience for citizens, who had to use subway entrances to cross to the opposite side.

During these events, clashes between the KCTU and police occurred, resulting in the on-the-spot arrest of about ten individuals on charges including obstruction of official duties. These individuals were reportedly being investigated at the Namdaemun Police Station in Seoul for assaulting police officers after resisting police intervention while marching following a preliminary rally held before the main event.

The police announced a strong response. A Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency official stated, "The rally held by the KCTU in the downtown area, which occupied all lanes of Sejong-daero and involved assaults on police officers, has deteriorated into a serious illegal assembly, and we express strong regret." The official added, "We will conduct a strict investigation, including applying for arrest warrants, against those caught on-site for illegal acts such as assaulting police officers or disobeying dispersal orders."

Meanwhile, rallies have been held every weekend without fail in the Gwanghwamun area since the beginning of this year. Citizens are expressing extreme fatigue due to noise, traffic controls, and rally-related litter.