Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Strengthens Safety Measures at 4 Elementary Schools Near 'Yoon Impeachment Rally'

Three-Stage Measures: Pre-Rally, Rally Day, and Post-Execution
Monitoring of School Commuting Routes and Deployment of Safety Personnel
Student Safety Education Conducted at Target Schools

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will establish safety measures for school commuting routes targeting schools near the presidential residence and the Constitutional Court, where pro and anti-impeachment rallies for President Yoon Seok-yeol are being held.

On the 10th, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced through a press release that it will implement safety measures for school commuting routes related to large-scale rallies and demonstrations. The schools supported by this measure include four elementary schools near the presidential residence: Hannam Elementary School, and near the Constitutional Court: Jaedong Elementary School (public), Gyodong Elementary School (public), and Unhyeon Elementary School (private).

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will implement ▲ student commuting safety and stable operation of educational activities inside and outside the school ▲ analysis of risk factors before and after rallies and strengthening of preventive measures ▲ establishment of a cooperative system and enhanced communication with related organizations such as the police.

The measures will be promoted in three stages: pre-measures, response on the day of the rally, and post-execution measures. In the pre-measures stage, cooperation with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and the local police station will confirm the scheduled rally dates and locations, analyze the rally scale, number of participants, expected risk levels, and whether road control will be implemented. The headquarters and education support offices will use disaster response systems to share situations with each school via text messages and SNS (social networking service) channels when emergencies are anticipated.

On the day of the rally, safety measures during commuting hours will be strengthened through monitoring of commuting routes and deployment of safety personnel. In cooperation with the police agency and local districts, protective devices such as safety fences and police lines will be installed to safeguard student passage.

Amid the reissuance of an arrest warrant for President Yoon Seok-yeol on charges of treason related to martial law, conservative group members are holding a rally near the presidential residence in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the 8th, urging opposition to the arrest of President Yoon. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

After the rally ends, the safety status of traffic safety facilities on commuting routes will be inspected, and opinions from schools, students, and parents will be collected and reflected in future safety measures. Additionally, immediate removal of remaining risk factors will be requested from the police or local districts, and data will be shared to prepare for similar situations in the future.

The target schools will conduct student safety education, including ▲ behavior guidelines during large-scale rallies ▲ prior instructions not to go alone to rally locations ▲ how to ask for help in dangerous situations ▲ and how to act according to guidance from teachers, parents, and the police.

Since January 2, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has been conducting on-site inspections daily to secure safety on the commuting route to Hannam Elementary School. They have listened to the number of rally participants, rally locations, safety concerns on commuting routes, and school difficulties, and have taken administrative measures. In the future, to strengthen safety on commuting routes near the Constitutional Court, they plan to request cooperation from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and Jongno Police Station for safety measures related to upcoming rallies.

Jung Geun-sik, Superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, stated, "The safety of our students is the top priority," and added, "We will do our best to secure the safety of commuting routes near nearby schools and stabilize educational activities while the rallies continue."