Now, that confrontation between the presidential security personnel and the team assigned with his arrest has been drawing large crowds of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s supporters and opposers alike to the neighborhood.
Our reporter Lee Eun-hee is on site.
Eun-hee, what’s it like there at the moment?
Yes, Jung-min, I’ve been here since noon, near the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu District, central Seoul, where the atmosphere of the rally remains intense.
It’s been over six hours since the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials suspended its operation at around 1:30 PM, having been unable to execute an arrest warrant against President Yoon Suk Yeol.
In response, President Yoon’s supporters cheered and reaffirmed their commitment to continue the rally overnight, occupying the sidewalks and extending onto parts of the road right near the presidential residence.
The rough estimation of the number of participants increased from around 6-hundred at 7 AM this morning to approximately over 10-thousand by 1:50 PM.
Some of Yoon’s supporters had even stayed overnight to keep watch.
Similar to yesterday’s scene, many are voicing strong criticism of the CIO, arguing that President Yoon’s declaration of martial law is lawful and insisting that it is the main opposition party leader Lee Jae-myung who should be arrested instead.
Meanwhile, those opposing the president have also been holding rallies and marches calling for his impeachment and demanding his arrest.
Korea’s largest labor organization, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, launched a two-day protest, demanding President Yoon’s arrest.
Today’s rally began near Hangangjin Station at 3 PM, which is nearby, and the protesters later marched closer to a spot near the presidential residence to continue their rally.
They are now positioned a bit further down the road from where the opposing group is holding their rally.
Were there any clashes? What’s in place to ensure safety?
Yes Jung-min, as expected I have seen several heated exchanges between police officers and protesters.
Other than that, around 6 PM, I heard the police asking the protesters of the labor organization to gather on one side of the road for safety and traffic control.
As the KCTU protest, calling for the President’s arrest, moved towards the presidential residence, they occupied both sides of the road.
A citizen rally, with more civil society groups joining, started at around 7 PM and is currently taking place on one side of the sidewalk and partially on the road, under police supervision.
Although the two opposing rallies are being held in separate locations, the police are actively managing the areas in anticipation of potential clashes.
To answer your other question about the safety measures implemented for today’s rallies, 45 riot police units, each consisting of 60 officers, along with approximately 27-hundred police officers, were deployed near the presidential residence.
Additionally, over 130 riot police buses were stationed at the scene, and traffic around the presidential residence along Hannam-daero is partially restricted.
The police buses deployed by the CIO have now been removed, and vehicle restrictions in certain areas have been lifted.
The arrest warrant is valid until next Monday, January 6th, meaning the CIO could resume efforts at any time, possibly over the weekend.
We can likely expect both small and large protests to continue for a while.
That’s all I have for now Jung-min.
That was our Lee Eun-hee reporting live from the president’s residential neighborhood.
Source : Arirang TV, https://www.arirang.com/news/view?id=279606
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