Demonstrations both in support of and against President Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment erupted across South Korea on Mar. 15, with major rallies held in downtown Seoul as the Constitutional Court’s ruling on the matter loomed. Lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties joined the protests, deepening political tensions beyond the National Assembly. Authorities deployed more than 3,600 officers from 60 riot police units in central Seoul to prevent clashes between demonstrators. A long row of police buses lined Sejong-daero, acting as a barrier between opposing groups. No physical altercations were reported.
Opponents of impeachment staged rallies in Gwanghwamun and Yeouido. In Gwanghwamun, a group of protesters led by conservative activist pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon held demonstrations, while the conservative Christian group Save Korea staged a separate rally in Yeouido. Another faction of Yoon supporters, the Presidential Public Defender Team, gathered near the Constitutional Court.
Police estimated that around 60,000 people attended the anti-impeachment rallies, while organizers claimed a turnout of 3.5 million. This included approximately 38,000 from the protest groups led by Jeon Kwang-hoon and the Liberty Unification Party, 16,000 from Save Korea, and 3,000 from the Presidential Public Defender Team.
At the protest led by pastor Jeon, all eight lanes of Sejong-daero between Gwanghwamun Square and Daehanmun were closed to traffic as demonstrators waved South Korean and U.S. flags and held signs reading “Immediate Reinstatement of Yoon Suk-yeol” and “Dissolve the National Assembly.” Some chanted slogans such as “Impeachment must be rejected 8-0” and “President Yoon Suk-yeol.”
Save Korea held another rally at Gumi Station in Gyeongsangbuk-do at 1 p.m., with police estimating a turnout of 10,000, while organizers put the figure at 20,000. Attendees included PPP lawmakers Na Kyung-won, Jang Dong-hyuk, Koo Ja-geun, Kang Myung-gu, and Lee Man-hee, as well as Gyeongsangbuk-do Governor Lee Cheol-woo and Gumi Mayor Kim Jang-ho. Korean history lecturer Jeon Han-gil told the crowd that “President Yoon did not commit any serious legal violations” and argued that under the presumption of innocence, he should not be considered guilty.
Meanwhile, pro-impeachment protests were held from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at various locations in central Seoul, organized by Candlelight Action, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, and five opposition parties. The demonstrations later merged at 4 p.m. for a larger rally in front of Dongshipjagak Pavilion near Gwanghwamun, led by Bisang Action for Yoon Out and Social Reform.
Police estimated that 42,500 people participated in the pro-impeachment rallies, while organizers claimed a turnout of 1 million. Protesters filled a one-kilometer stretch from Anguk-dong Rotary to Gyeongbokgung Station. At 6:30 p.m., they began marching from Dongshipjagak to Jongno 3-ga Intersection before returning to their starting point.
