'Impeachment Vote D-1' Nationwide Candlelight Vigils "Yoon Seok-yeol Step Down"

On the eve of the National Assembly vote on the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk-yeol, candlelight rallies and street marches demanding the president's resignation took place across the country.

On the afternoon of the 6th, citizens attended a candlelight vigil near National Assembly Station in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, urging the impeachment of the president. Photo by Yonhap News

At 7 p.m. on the 6th in Seomyeon, the downtown area of Busan, the 'Busan Action for Yoon Suk-yeol's Resignation,' composed of civic groups, held a resolution rally condemning President Yoon's declaration of martial law for the third consecutive day. The organizers estimated that about 3,000 people gathered, shouting "Resign the regime." At the same time, 30 civic organizations held the 'Yoon Suk-yeol Impeachment Daejeon Citizens Rally' at Eunhasu Intersection, a busy area in Daejeon.

In Gwangju Dong-gu's 5.18 Democracy Square, about 1,200 participants gathered for the 'Yoon Suk-yeol Regime Resignation Gwangju Emergency Action' 3rd General Rally. In front of Jeju City Hall, a rally urging President Yoon's resignation was held, hosted by the 'Yoon Suk-yeol Regime Resignation and Korean Society Great Transformation Jeju Action,' composed of civic groups and progressive parties. The student councils of four universities in the province, including Jeju National University, which declared themselves descendants of the Jeju 4.3 incident, stated at the rally, "There is no longer any legitimacy for a regime that destroys the constitutional order and points guns at the people."

In Daegu Dongseong-ro, 85 local civic and labor organizations gathered for a national situation rally. The rally was attended by about 2,000 people, including religious, legal, medical, and women's sector figures, according to the organizers. Rallies demanding President Yoon's impeachment were also held at Ulsan Lotte Department Store Plaza, Changwon Plaza, and Yatap Station Plaza in Bundang-gu, Seongnam City.

Declarations on the national situation by professors, faculty members, and retired teachers also followed. Seventy-one professors from Gyeongin National University of Education issued a declaration in the afternoon calling for President Yoon's resignation and punishment of those involved. They condemned "President Yoon's outrage in declaring martial law," calling it "a serious criminal act that plunged the people into extreme anxiety and chaos and severely damaged the nation's dignity." They added, "The president's duty is to resign and apologize, and the National Assembly's task is to pass the impeachment resolution," and "All related persons must be investigated and punished according to the results." One hundred sixty faculty members, including professors from Inje University, also issued a declaration at Indang Hall, Inje University, Gimhae, in the afternoon. They criticized, "Martial law damaged our country's democracy and constitutional values and was a repression reminiscent of the dark days of military dictatorship."

The Chungbuk Retired Teachers Association held a press conference at the Chungbuk Provincial Government Office, demanding, "President Yoon Suk-yeol has plunged the democracy envied by the world into the abyss in the middle of the night," and "Take responsibility for the unconstitutional declaration of martial law and step down immediately." Two hundred seventy-four retired teachers in the Gangwon region issued a declaration stating, "Various reforms carried out by the Yoon Suk-yeol regime are heading toward collapse and have thrown the entire country into chaos," and "Education, a century-long plan, is being judged by economic logic, and the education field is becoming increasingly devastated."

The Democratic Alumni Association of universities in Gyeongnam, including Gyeongnam National University, Gyeongsang National University, and Changwon National University, declared in front of the Gyeongnam Provincial Government main gate, "Shamanism and political brokers' manipulation of state affairs are tearing the country apart, and the lives of the people are sinking into misery."