And large political rallies, both for and against President Yoon, are set to sweep across the capital city in the run-up to the impeachment vote.
One obvious rally spot is Yeouido where the vote is taking place, and our Lee Eun-hee is there right now.
Eun-hee, it definitely looks a lot more crowded now compared to this morning.
Hello Dami, I’m here at the National Assembly in Yeouido, where protests both calling for and opposing President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment from office have been taking place for the past few days.
There are definitely more people now, and here around the National Assembly, I mostly see people calling for the President’s impeachment.
I’m also spotting a lot of young people, including university students.
For the main candlelit rally, people are getting ready by buying different types of light sticks and taking their seats on the ground in front of the stage, which is now all set up.
Let’s hear from some of the people who’re here.
“I was curious about how people are responding and how the rally is organized, so I decided to join. Seeing everyone actively participating and getting involved really warms my heart.”
“I came all the way from New York because I can’t tolerate the policy where Yoon Seok Yeol is reportedly trying to target and harm our younger doctor colleagues.”
“I’m a student, and I’ll be joining a pre-rally with other students from my school at 1 PM. The President’s impeachment should have happened last week, so it’s frustrating that it’s been delayed by a week. I’m hopeful it will happen this week, but if not, I’ll keep pushing and showing people that this is how we, the women in their 20s and 30s feel.”
Since the declaration of martial law which lasted for six hours earlier this month, protests have spread across many cities in the country.
In the capital city of Seoul, large-scale protests are typically held at Gwanghwamun Square.
However, martial law-related demonstrations and rallies calling for the President’s resignation are mainly in Yeouido, which is where the National Assembly is located, while rallies supporting President Yoon are concentrated in Gwanghwamun.
Here around the National Assembly, organizations including the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, South Korea’s largest labor union will hold a candlelight rally scheduled to start at 3 PM where over 1-million people are expected to gather.
Going over to Gwanghwamun, organizations in support of President Yoon, including the Liberty Unification Party started holding a large counter-protest at 1 PM.
Organizers anticipate at least 1-hundred-thousand participants.
In addition, several other organizations in support of the President have announced plans to hold a rally near the National Assembly’s main gate.
Tensions are expected to escalate, particularly when the results of the impeachment vote are announced.
We’re expecting over a million people to take to the streets across Seoul.
How is the capital city preparing to brace for such a large crowd?
Yes, in response, today stronger safety and response measures will be implemented compared to last week.
At the moment, there are no telecommunication issues.
However, as the crowd grows, there might be issues similar to last week when many people couldn’t get a signal, especially around the National Assembly.
According to the Ministry of Science and ICT, major telecommunication companies plan to deploy an additional thirty-6 telecom base stations around crowded areas and establish nearly forty temporary stations to handle the surge in telecommunication traffic.
Those companies will also assign over 1-hundred personnel for real-time monitoring and on-site support.
Seoul City will deploy over 1-thousand on-site personnel including police officers and the fire department personnel, expand emergency medical teams, and use traffic and security CCTV to monitor crowd density.
Additionally, with more students participating in recent protests, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has created safety response teams to prepare for any emergencies in crowded areas of Yeouido and Gwanghwamun.
Nearly 2-hundred personnel will be stationed on-site before the protests begin and will ensure that students return home safely afterwards.
Seoul’s subway services on Lines 5 and 9, which are the most used routes to reach Yeouido or Gwanghwamun will also be increased.
That was our Lee Eun-hee live from Yeouido just outside the National Assembly.
Thanks Eun-hee.
source : https://www.arirang.com/news/view?id=279021
