In less than seven hours an arrest warrant issued against the president comes to an end as protests both for and against his arrest persist near his official residence.
For more I have Park Kun-woo standing by on site.
I understand huge crowds are gathered there Kun-woo ?
Good evening Sunny.
I’m standing near the presidential residence in Yongsan-gu District, central Seoul, where protests both for and against President Yoon’s arrest are taking place.
Protesters from both sides have been rallying for four consecutive days since Friday.
They have been here day and night despite the cold weather, heavy snowfall over the weekend, and even sudden rain this morning.
As weather conditions are getting better than in the morning and following the fact that it’s the last day before the expiration of President Yoon’s first arrest warrant, it seems more and more people are gathering at the site compared to the morning protest.
Around me, there are hundreds of protesters opposing Yoon’s arrest, shouting and holding both Korean and U.S. national flags.
Those in favor of Yoon’s arrest have been continuing their rallies since 2 PM, while playing loud K-pop music through large speakers installed at the site.
Police officials estimated that around 8-thousand-5-hundred protesters had gathered at the site as of 10 AM on Monday.
And there were a few hostile encounters I hear?
That’s true Sunny.
Police officials said today that there were 4 incidents of attack against police officers, occurring during both the pro-and anti-protest rallies taking place near where I’m standing over the weekend.
The police said they will investigate these by tracking down the offenders and taking legal action to prevent similar cases from occurring.
Hundreds of police are present to prevent any physical confrontations, while police buses are partially blocking roads.
I heard many honks especially during the morning rush hour due to traffic jams, though it’s been quieter since then.
However, we still need to wait and see as Korea is approaching the evening rush hour.
Fences are also positioned to separate the opposing groups, and I haven’t witnessed any physical clashes except for some yelling and shouting at each other today.
That’s all I have for you now.
Back to you, Sunny.
All right Kun-woo thank you for that coverage.
That was our Park Kun-woo reporting live from the president’s residential neighborhood.
Source : Arirang TV, https://www.arirang.com/news/view?id=279635
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