Rallies erupted across Seoul on the first weekend following President Yoon Suk-yeol’s indictment with detention, with demonstrators either demanding his removal from office or voicing opposition to his impeachment. Supporters of Yoon were divided into two factions, with one group rallying in Gwanghwamun and the other in Yeouido.
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) on Feb. 1 held a protest demanding Yoon’s resignation near Jonggak Station at 3 p.m., while a coalition of civic groups calling for his resignation organized a rally near Gyeongbokgung Station at 4 p.m. Around 6,000 demonstrators (according to unofficial police estimates) carried placards reading “dissolve the People Power Party” and chanted calls for the “immediate removal” of Yoon Suk-yeol.
Pro-Yoon demonstrations also took place. Near Gwanghwamun Square, Pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon of Sarang Jeil Church led a rally, with approximately 38,000 participants (according to police estimates) waving South Korean and U.S. flags and chanting slogans against impeachment. Some protesters also held signs reading “illegal arrest, nullify impeachment.” In front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, the Christian group Save Korea held a national prayer meeting, with around 4,000 people gathering to pray for the dismissal of Yoon’s impeachment.
