Protesters Wrapped in Thermal Blankets Draw Attention
Resembling Packaging of Hershey's Famous Chocolate Kisses
"People are wrapped in aluminum foil. It really looks like Kisses."
On the 5th, a group called the 'Kisses Dan' appeared around Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, drawing significant attention on social networking services (SNS). Kisses is a famous overseas chocolate brand, selling uniquely shaped chocolates wrapped in aluminum foil. On this day, an unexpected heavy snowfall occurred, and protest participants sat on the street wrapped in silver thermal blankets, resembling Kisses perfectly.
Photos of the Kisses Dan were shared by netizens through various SNS platforms such as X. Despite the heavy snowfall, protest participants sat on the street waving protest light sticks, and it was reported that they even stayed overnight.
A photo shared by a current lawmaker also became a hot topic. The office of Jeong Hye-kyung, a Progressive Party member of the National Assembly (proportional representation), revealed several photos on the same day, stating, "Lawmaker Jeong has been participating in the 'arrest demand action' with workers and citizens for 2 nights and 3 days since 3 PM on the 3rd." The photos show citizens armed with padding and blankets, steadfastly waving light sticks amid thick snowfall.
Regarding this, Lawmaker Jeong wrote on Facebook that day, "The light stick girls who brought out my twenties. Each of their stories was so precious that I could not miss a single moment," explaining her reason for participating in the protest for several days. She added, "I vow to engage in politics that respond to the cries of these girls."
View of the road in front of the Presidential Residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul on the 5th. MBC News YouTube capture
Kisses is a flagship product line of Hershey, a major American chocolate manufacturer. The chocolates, shaped like droplets or chestnuts, are wrapped in aluminum or gold foil, a packaging style famous worldwide. Since its inception in 1907, it has been actively sold not only in the West but also domestically.
Netizens who saw the protesters that day left supportive comments such as, "Their passion despite the harsh weather is amazing," "Just seeing the Kisses Dan was healing," and "My heart was touched by the fact that so many people share the same cause as me."
However, not all citizens expressed favorable opinions toward the protesters. Some pointed out that the protest occupied the central commercial area near Hangangjin Station in Hannam-dong. Due to this large-scale rally, ten lanes of nearby roads were blocked, and Seoul Subway Line 6 passed through Hangangjin Station without stopping for 20 minutes.
The protest, which continued from the 4th to the 5th, involved an estimated 100,000 people (according to police estimates) over two days. During this process, two members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) were arrested on charges of assaulting police officers but were later released.
Pro-Yoon Seok-yeol conservative groups also gathered at the presidential residence to hold counter-protests, intensifying the confusion. However, the police controlled the situation by separating the two rallies with barricades, and no physical clashes were reported.
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