On Samiljeol, Seoul Downtown Divided Over Yoon Impeachment... Total of 140,000 Gathered from Both Sides

Large-Scale Opposition Rallies and Protests by Five Opposition Parties and Civic Groups
Sejong-daero and Yeouidaero Closed; Temporary Non-Stop Subway Operations

On March 1st, Seoul city center was divided into two camps over the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol. Both sides held large-scale rallies in downtown Seoul, shouting for dismissal and approval of the impeachment, respectively.

The Korea Movement to Set the Nation Right (Daegukbon), led by Pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon, and the conservative Christian group Save Korea held rallies around Sejong-daero and Yeouidaero, respectively. As of 2:30 PM, the police unofficially estimated that a total of 120,000 people gathered at both rallies combined. The Daegukbon rally had 65,000 participants, and Save Korea had 55,000, with the number of attendees steadily increasing.

On March 1st, Independence Movement Day, pro- and anti-impeachment rallies for President Yoon Suk-yeol are being held across Seoul.
On the left is the Nationwide Rally Urging the Dismissal of the Five Opposition Parties in Anguk-dong. On the right is the Anti-Impeachment Rally by the Korea Righting the Nation Movement Headquarters on Sejong-daero. Yonhap News

The political sphere also joined the rallies. Thirty-six members of the People Power Party, including Kim Ki-hyun, Na Kyung-won, Yoon Sang-hyun, and Chu Kyung-ho, took the stage at the Save Korea rally. Representative Yoon Sang-hyun said, "The President told me, 'If you go out to the square, please be sure to convey this message.' He said that when President Yoon loses his will and sense of responsibility to protect freedom, communism, totalitarianism, and populism will rush in, and freedom will be lost. We must fight to the end with that will and sense of responsibility."

Lawyer Seok Dong-hyun, who is part of President Yoon’s legal team, also took the stage at the Daegukbon rally in Gwanghwamun, saying he met with the President the day before and conveyed, "The President expressed endless gratitude and asked me to be sure to tell everyone, 'I am healthy and doing well.'"

A rally calling for President Yoon’s removal was also held around Anguk Station, about 1 km away from the Daegukbon rally. The five opposition parties, including the Democratic Party of Korea, held a "National Rally to Urge the Impeachment of Yoon Suk-yeol" at Anguk-dong Intersection starting at 3:30 PM. As of 4:30 PM, the police unofficially estimated 18,000 participants.

At 5 PM, the Emergency Action for Immediate Resignation of Yoon Suk-yeol and Social Reform (Emergency Action) will hold a nationwide citizen march around Sajik-ro. Emergency Action and the Democratic Party reported rally attendance of 100,000 and 10,000, respectively. Earlier, around 2 PM, a candlelight rally was held with an unofficial police estimate of 5,000 participants.

Sejong-daero (from Taepyeong Intersection to Sungnyemun Intersection) was fully closed to traffic in both directions, and Yeouidaero (from Mapo Bridge South End to Seoul Bridge South End) was also closed, operating variable lanes. Subway Line 5 Gwanghwamun Station temporarily had trains pass without stopping due to the crowd but resumed normal operation around 2:57 PM.