Over 30,000 Gather at Gwangju Geumnam-ro Rally
Sharing Hot Packs and Jumeokbap to Realize May Spirit
Unique Placard Making and K-pop Parodies Draw Attention
Citizens attending the 6th Gwangju Citizens' General Rally held on the special stage at Geumnam-ro, Dong-gu, Gwangju on the 14th are cheering while holding placards. Photo by Song Bohyun
"Thank you for coming out. Please take hot packs, rice balls, and warm tea."
On the afternoon of the 14th, around Geumnam-ro, Dong-gu, Gwangju.
Ahead of the second vote on the impeachment motion against President Yoon Seok-yeol related to the '12·3 Emergency Martial Law Incident,' over 30,000 people gathered at the 6th Gwangju Citizens' General Rally held at the 5·18 Democracy Square and Geumnam-ro.
The rally was hosted by the 'Emergency Action for Immediate Resignation of the Yoon Seok-yeol Regime and Social Reform in Gwangju,' a coalition of over 140 civic groups in the Gwangju area.
Expecting a large crowd, the rally area was expanded to Geumnam-ro. Since the emergency martial law was declared on the 3rd, daily gatherings had been held at various spots in the 5·18 Democracy Square and Geumnam-ro, where about 20 booths offering snacks such as hot packs, rice balls, ramen, and warm tea were set up, once again embodying the '5·18 Spirit of Unity.'
It is known that hundreds of people have donated funds and goods to the Emergency Action so far. The organization estimates that the total value of donations and goods exceeds 100 million won.
Each booth prepared various programs to encourage citizen participation, including ▲ making personalized impeachment placards ▲ acrostic poems on 'Arrest Yoon Seok-yeol' and 'Dissolve the People Power Party' ▲ and sharing bookmarks.
At booths set up by various civic and political groups, passersby were offered warm tea and coffee.
A booth representative said, "We prepared plenty of coffee and hot packs expecting a large number of citizens. We hope to offer some help to the citizens gathered in the cold weather for the approval of President Yoon Seok-yeol's impeachment. We sincerely hope the impeachment motion passes today."
At cafes and fish-shaped pastry (Bungeoppang) shops around Geumnam-ro, hundreds of cups of coffee and food were also provided through a relay of prepayments by citizens.
At the rally, unique placards and flags made by citizens themselves stood out.
Citizens held flags with distinctive slogans such as 'League of Sons and Daughters Who Disobey and Protest,' 'People Who Cannot Be Left Out,' 'Alliance of Those Without Cats,' and 'National Square Life Citizens' Union Gwangju Branch,' participating in the rally with their own flair.
A citizen who made the 'League of Sons and Daughters Who Disobey and Protest' flag said, "We created the flag to represent our commitment to uphold justice as we see it. I never thought I would participate in a moment that will be recorded in history books. I stood up to leave a better world for my beloved younger siblings and nephews."
The atmosphere was energized by performances such as rapper Park Min-gyu's hip-hop show, politically themed rap, and a stage performance by a citizen who won a parody song contest.
When citizens on stage chanted "Impeach Yoon Seok-yeol," the crowd immediately raised their placards high and echoed "Impeach."
Park (18), who attended the rally with friends, said, "I came out with my friends to witness this historic moment when the impeachment motion against President Yoon is passed. I had only studied the 5·18 and the spirit of unity through textbooks, but seeing it in person makes it more real. I hope the citizens' will gathers to restore democracy."
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