Crowds Expected at Geumnam-ro and Mokpo Station Plaza
Regional Security Tightened
Riot Police Units Dispatched to Seoul
With the Constitutional Court's verdict on the impeachment trial of President Yoon Suk-yeol scheduled for the 4th, police forces in Gwangju and Jeonnam are entering the highest level of security alert.
According to the Gwangju and Jeonnam Police Agencies on the 1st, as the nationwide "Gapho Emergency" will be issued on the 4th, the day of the Constitutional Court's impeachment verdict, police in both regions will begin emergency operations. Gapho Emergency is the highest level of alert, mobilizing up to 100% of available police forces, and during this period, police officers are prohibited from taking annual or personal leave.
Access is restricted at the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 1st, as the impeachment trial of President Yoon Seokyeol has been postponed to April. Photo by Yonhap News
In Gwangju, police will be heavily deployed to maintain order in areas expected to draw large crowds, such as Geumnam-ro, and in Jeonnam, at Mokpo Station Plaza. All regional riot police units will be dispatched to Seoul, and reserve units of about 70 officers per police station will be organized in preparation for possible clashes.
During the impeachment verdict of former President Park Geun-hye in 2017, Gwangju and Jeonnam police also supported Seoul with large-scale personnel and operated emergency response systems locally. At that time, both regions observed the verdict in a relatively calm atmosphere without major disturbances.
Meanwhile, in Seoul, a 100-meter radius around the Constitutional Court will be designated as a restricted area, barring public access, and a "vacuum operation" will be implemented to prevent clashes between opposing rallies. Pro- and anti-impeachment rallies will be separated, with the anti-impeachment group on Samil-daero and the pro-impeachment group on Yulgok-ro, while police forces will be heavily deployed at key locations such as Gwanghwamun Intersection. A total of 210 riot police units (14,000 officers) from across the country will be stationed in Seoul, and security measures for all Constitutional Court justices have been strengthened.
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