Cheering Sticks and K-pop Draw MZ Generation to Gwangju Rally

Over 1,000 People Crowd 5·18 Minju Plaza
Lowering Entry Barriers with Parodied Popular Songs
Voluntary Volunteer and Sharing Activities by Citizens

Citizens attending the Gwangju Citizens' General Rally held on the 11th at the 5·18 Democracy Square in Dong-gu, Gwangju, are holding hand signs and cheering sticks. Photo by Song Bohyun

"I will protect the square until President Yoon Seok-yeol is impeached."

At 7 p.m. on the 11th, at the 5·18 Democracy Square in Dong-gu, Gwangju. On this day, the square was bustling with about 1,000 citizens including students, families, and friends participating in the Gwangju Citizens' Rally organized by the Gwangju-Jeonnam Candlelight Action.

The citizens sat on simple cushions laid out in front of the stage installed in the square, holding brightly glowing light sticks and placards with slogans such as "Immediate Resignation of Yoon Seok-yeol" and "Disband the People Power Party."

Before the rally officially began, performers sang parody songs demanding President Yoon Seok-yeol's resignation, including "Impeachment Bell" and "Impeachment is the Answer," and the citizens responded by waving light sticks and placards. At this rally, students’ placards made using K-pop light sticks and newly coined terms stood out.

One student said, "The light sticks catch the eye, but I thought of them as symbols of nonviolence and solidarity replacing candlelight. The light sticks and parody songs of K-pop popular music lowered the entry barrier, and I ended up participating every time with my peers."

On one side of the square, hot packs and snacks were prepared to soothe citizens’ cold and hunger. The snacks were provided by a citizen who requested the Candlelight Action to distribute them first to the students, thinking they might be hungry. Seeing this, other citizens also said, "Students come first," and shared the snacks with nearby students. One citizen was seen telling a passing student, "Thank you so much for coming out. You must be hungry, so please have some snacks," showing mutual care.

Kim Hyun-soo (50), who runs a YouTube channel, also provided 500 cups of warm coffee free of charge for attendees braving the cold weather. Kim, who has been volunteering free coffee since the day before, said, "Many citizens gathered in the square for President Yoon’s impeachment despite the cold weather, and I wanted to offer some support. I prepared coffee for the citizens who participated in the rally after work, even though they must have been tired."

The rally was conducted in the form of a "singing contest," attracting the attention of attendees. The songs performed were parodies of popular songs demanding President Yoon’s impeachment, with three citizens participating.

One participant said, "Since the declaration of martial law, I have voluntarily come out to the rally for the country. I earnestly hope President Yoon is impeached and took the stage to encourage the citizens’ support."

Wi Kyung-jong, co-representative of the Gwangju Emergency Action for the Resignation of the Yoon Seok-yeol Regime, explained, "The rallies held this week at the 5·18 Democracy Square are meaningful because they are conducted at the citizens’ request. The 'My Own Placard Protest' and 'Singing Contest' were all planned and carried out based on citizens’ ideas. With active participation from youth and students, ideas gathered and broke the formal framework of rallies."

There were also parents who brought their children for historical education about the current situation.

Park (37, female), who came straight after work with her 9-year-old and 7-year-old children from Gwangcheon-dong, Seo-gu, said, "I had participated alone in rallies since Monday, but if the impeachment bill is passed this week, I felt today’s rally would be a significant historic day, so I brought my children. I thought that even if it’s just one scene from the rally or the news that remains in their memory, it would be educational."

Meanwhile, the Gwangju Citizens’ Political Situation Rally is scheduled to be held daily until the 13th, one day before the second vote on the impeachment bill in the National Assembly.