About 50 Conservatives, Including YouTubers, Hold Anti-Impeachment Rally on the 8th
Pro-Impeachment Rally Held the Same Day at 5.18 Democracy Plaza
"Immediate Dismissal of Insurrection Leader Yoon" vs. "Frequent Impeachments Are Insurrection"
The "Immediate Resignation of the Yoon Seokyeol Regime and Great Social Reform Gwangju Emergency Action" held a pro-impeachment rally at 5 p.m. on the 8th at the 5·18 Democracy Square in Dong-gu, Gwangju. On the road to the right side of the square, about 50 people, including conservative YouTuber Ahn Jungkwon, continued a street march. To prevent clashes during this process, a large number of police officers were deployed. Photo by Song Bohyun
On the weekend, as the perceived temperature in Gwangju dropped to minus 8 degrees Celsius, rallies both supporting and opposing the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol were held in the city center.
On the afternoon of the 8th, about 50 people, including conservative YouTuber Ahn Jungwon from Boseong, Jeonnam, held a rally opposing Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment on Geumnam-ro Street near Jeonil Building 245 in Gwangju.
Participants at the rally waved placards reading "Come back! Yoon Suk-yeol," "Frequent impeachments are insurrection," and "Budget cuts are terrorism."
Mr. Kim, who attended the rally, said, "We are also citizens of this country. It is legitimate for us to voice opposition to impeachment in Gwangju," and questioned, "Why did Mayor Kang Gijung of Gwangju deny approval for the use of 5.18 Democracy Plaza?"
Conservative YouTuber Jung Kwon An, originally from Boseong, Jeonnam, is speaking at an anti-impeachment rally for Yoon Seokyeol on the Geumnamro street near Jeonil Building 245 in Gwangju on the afternoon of the 8th. Photo by Song Bohyun
Ahn, who led the rally, claimed, "President Yoon's martial law is a legitimate act of governance guaranteed by the Constitution." He added, "Next Saturday (the 15th), lecturer Jeon Hangil will be coming, and we held this rally in advance to heighten the atmosphere."
After the rally, they continued with a street march, repeatedly chanting slogans such as "Impeachment invalid" and "Yoon Suk-yeol, return."
During the march, Ahn hurled insults such as "Gwangju mob XX" at participants of the 5.18 Plaza rally and some citizens. In response, many citizens clicked their tongues, saying, "If you want to hold a rally, just do it, but why resort to vulgar and abusive language?" and "It feels like they're going out of their way to pick a fight."
On the afternoon of the 8th, participants of the Gwangju Emergency Action for Immediate Resignation of the Yoon Seokyeol Regime and Social Reform rally at the 5.18 Democracy Square in Dong-gu, Gwangju, shouted slogans in support of the impeachment of President Yoon Seokyeol. Photo by Yonhap News
On the same day at 5 p.m., a rally supporting impeachment was held at 5.18 Democracy Plaza in Dong-gu, Gwangju, organized by 'Gwangju Emergency Action for Immediate Resignation of the Yoon Suk-yeol Administration and Social Reform.'
Hundreds of participants held placards reading "Punish the accomplices of insurrection + People Power Party" and "Immediate dismissal of insurrection ringleader Yoon Suk-yeol," as well as various cheering sticks, chanting slogans such as "Impeach insurrection ringleader Yoon Suk-yeol."
Bae Youngjun, an executive activist of the Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination who took the stage that day, said, "We will continue our struggle so that democracy can be achieved through the impeachment of President Yoon in Gwangju, the city of human rights."
Meanwhile, regarding the conservative rally, Emergency Action stated in a press release, "Forces defending insurrection have declared that they will hold rallies justifying Yoon Suk-yeol's illegal martial law at 5.18 Democracy Plaza and Geumnam-ro until next weekend," adding, "We are outraged at the attempt to invade 5.18 Democracy Plaza and Geumnam-ro, sacred to the spirit of Gwangju citizens, in order to continue inciting and justifying Yoon Suk-yeol's unconstitutional and illegal martial law."
They continued, "The attempts by far-right extremists to degrade Gwangju, the sacred ground of democracy, into a filthy means of making money and a hotbed for inciting insurrection will never succeed," adding, "Rather, it will serve as a fuse that ignites the great struggle of the people of Korea to root out the forces of insurrection that still survive and operate in every corner of our society."
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