Protest Rallies Continue for 2 Nights and 3 Days from the 4th
Residents Experience Inconvenience Due to Traffic and Noise Issues
The Hannam-dong area in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, is experiencing significant inconvenience for residents due to traffic congestion and protests near the presidential residence. Situations have arisen where people must step into the first lane of the road to catch buses, and pedestrian movement is also restricted due to police control. Residents are facing dangerous circumstances where they have to step into the middle of the road to board buses.
On the morning of the 3rd, as officials from the Corruption Investigation Office arrived at the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul, to execute an arrest warrant for President Yoon Seok-yeol, the roads near the residence in Hannam-dong are heavily congested. Photo by Heo Young-han
On the 7th, Newsis reported that a citizen, Mr. A, recently filed a complaint against Yongsan-gu. Mr. A expressed, "Commuting these days is very painful. It takes an hour just to pass through the area near (President Yoon’s residence) on my way to Namsan 1 Tunnel, Soonchunhyang University Hospital, and Yangjae. Does that make sense?" He continued, "They should properly manage the protests or have them in a wider area. What is this? I was trapped on the bus for an hour during my commute." Mr. A also lamented, "I leave work on Friday evenings, and being forced to get off the bus because of protests is absurd. Does Yongsan not care about citizens' inconvenience? Whether they protest or do anything else, they should at least secure bus lanes. I feel like I'm losing my mind."
Earlier, Mr. B, who runs a restaurant in the Hannam-dong area, criticized protest participants on social media on the 5th. Mr. B said, "It's so noisy day and night that I honestly feel like I'm going crazy. If they want to protest, they should go to a square or somewhere else. Why come to Hannam-dong regardless of left or right?" In fact, after the Public Corruption Investigation Office’s attempt to execute an arrest warrant for President Yoon failed on the 3rd, labor and civic groups along with President Yoon’s supporters held an overnight sit-in protest for three days starting from the 4th in the Hannam-dong area of Yongsan-gu, Seoul, where the presidential residence is located.
On the morning of the 3rd, as officials from the Corruption Investigation Office entered the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul, to execute an arrest warrant for President Yoon Seok-yeol, supporters of President Yoon gathered on the road near the residence in Hannam-dong to hold an anti-impeachment rally. Photo by Heo Young-han
As a result, traffic in the Hannam-dong area, where pro- and anti-impeachment rallies were held throughout the weekend, was paralyzed. Parts of Samil-daero and Hannam-daero in Yongsan-gu were controlled due to road-occupying protests, and with heavy snowfall across Seoul, vehicles were effectively trapped on the roads. City buses operated temporary detours under police traffic control, and Line 6 trains passing through Hangangjin Station passed without stopping for about 20 minutes.
Due to the noise from the protests, residents complain that they cannot sleep through the night. Many merchants have closed their shops as customers stopped coming. Protest participants occupy the roads, causing traffic paralysis. Some residents suffer from the noise and lights of the protests. Not only residents living in Hannam-dong but also office workers using bus routes passing through Hannam-dong are affected by the traffic congestion during commuting hours. Merchants are hindered in their business as protest participants sit in front of their stores. Conflicts have also arisen between merchants and protest participants over restroom usage.
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