A day after Yoon's ousting, Seoul's usual protest site sees fewer demonstrators
A day after the Constitutional Court finalized President Yoon Suk Yeol’s removal from office, his supporters gathered at their usual protest spot — Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul.
However, their numbers were noticeably smaller, reflecting a clear loss of momentum.
The pro-Yoon rally started at 1 p.m. amid rain, and its turnout was far smaller than the 30,000 attendees organizers had initially told authorities to expect.
A Korea Herald reporter at the scene estimated that 2,000-3,000 people had gathered about 15 minutes before the rally started. Although the crowd grew after 1 p.m., it was still far smaller than previous gatherings.
The Protestant organization Save Korea, which has been organizing massive rallies in support of Yoon since he set off a political storm on Dec. 3 with his short-lived martial law declaration, canceled its planned gathering of 20,000 people slated to take place in Yeouido at 1 p.m. Saturday.
The Constitutional Court of Korea on Friday upheld Yoon's impeachment, ruling that he committed grave violations of democratic principles and the rule of law by declaring martial law last year.
On that day, Seoul was on high alert for a potential flare-up of violence, mobilizing a massive police presence and closing subway stations, schools, and cultural facilities near the court and city center in anticipation of large-scale protests.
However, no major incidents occurred.
Kim Jae-heun and Hwang Joo-young contributed to this report.
ssh@heraldcorp.com
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