Two days before the impeachment ruling date of President Yoon Suk-yeol, the police, who are creating a "vacuum state" near the Constitutional Court, have decided to expand the perimeter of the blockade around the Constitutional Court from 100m to 150m.
An official from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency stated on the 2nd, "As of 2 p.m. on this day, the blockade around the Constitutional Court was extended from the existing 100m to a 150m radius." He added, "This decision was made after comprehensively considering sufficient police activity, the scale of personnel, and points that make it easier to block (protesters, etc.)."
Accordingly, all assemblies and protests are prohibited within 150m of the blockade line.
The police also began controlling both directions of the roads near Anguk Station exits 1 and 6, Suun Hall, and Hyundai Gyedong Building. However, measures will be taken to allow normal passage for ordinary citizens.
To create a vacuum around the Constitutional Court, the police mobilized a total of about 200 available vehicles, including approximately 160 police buses and 20 barrier trucks.
The Jongno and Jung-gu areas have been designated as special crime prevention zones and are divided into eight sectors.
About 1,500 personnel, including mobile patrol units and local police, will conduct security activities such as crime prevention.
The police have deployed a special police task force near the Constitutional Court to protect them and to take initial action in case of emergencies.
The reason the police are preparing such thorough measures is due to the chaos that occurred on March 10, 2017, the day of the impeachment ruling for former President Park Geun-hye.
At that time, immediately after the decision to dismiss former President Park, anti-impeachment supporters seized police buses, resulting in four deaths.
The police have announced that they will declare a "Gapho Emergency" nationwide on the day of President Yoon's impeachment ruling on the 4th.
A police official said, "We will maintain a vacuum state around the Constitutional Court and deploy sufficient personnel to major facilities to establish a flawless security posture."
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