Protests Continue Near Presidential Residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul
Monastery Opens Doors to Those Needing Restrooms and Warmth
Photo of Priest Holding Support Light and Guiding the Way Gains Attention
On the 6th, as pro- and anti-government rallies continued for the fourth day near the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, a photo of a priest from a nearby Catholic monastery guiding people through the darkness with a light stick became a hot topic. On that day, an X (formerly Twitter) user posted, "No way... a priest is holding a light stick and guiding people to the monastery restroom," along with a photo. The photo posted by user A showed a priest dressed in monastic robes holding a light stick and walking ahead, guiding other citizens participating in the rally.
A Catholic monastery priest near the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul, guiding the path of rally participants through the darkness with a cheering stick. X
Another X user also posted a black-and-white photo capturing the same scene. In this photo, citizens were seen following the priest holding the light stick in a line. Netizens who saw this commented, "He looks like Gandalf from the movie The Lord of the Rings," "The attire is so old-fashioned it looks like a scene from the Bible," and "I thought he was leading them not to the restroom but to heaven."
At rally sites crowded with many people, access to restrooms often becomes an urgent issue. In response, a Catholic monastery near the presidential residence opened its doors to serve as a resting place for citizens participating in the rally. According to a JTBC report on the day, the monastery opened its restrooms and main hall for citizens to rest, and even opened the men's restrooms throughout the monastery to women.
One rally participant described the situation, saying, "There were about 70 people lined up at the women's restroom in the main hall, when suddenly the priest appeared holding a light stick and said, 'Cut the line from here to here and follow me,'" adding, "There aren’t many public facilities, so everyone was very grateful, and many people developed a newfound faith. If God exists, wouldn’t He be here on the streets rather than inside a church?" they told JTBC.
Participants of the "Immediate Resignation of Yoon Seok-yeol and Emergency Action for Social Reform" continue their rally near the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 6th, the expiration date of the arrest warrant for President Yoon Seok-yeol. Photo by Yonhap News
Even on the day the arrest warrant for President Yoon Seok-yeol expired, rallies both supporting and opposing his arrest and impeachment continued near the presidential residence. The night before, dozens of participants from the 'Immediate Resignation of Yoon Seok-yeol and Emergency Action for Social Reform' group continued their sit-in protest despite the snowy and cold weather, wrapped in silver foil blankets. This scene reminded netizens of the chocolate brand 'Kisses' wrapped in foil, leading to nicknames such as 'Human Kisses,' 'Hannam-dong Kisses Protesters,' and 'Kisses Comrades' becoming popular online.
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