Large-scale rally paralyzes downtown Seoul as unionists demand Yoon's resignation

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Large-scale rally paralyzes downtown Seoul as unionists demand Yoon's resignation

Published: 20 Nov. 2024, 18:23

CHO JUNG-WOO
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and the National Farmer's Federation rally in downtown Seoul on Wednesday holding banners demanding President Yoon Suk Yeol's resignation. [NEWS1]

Labor unionists and farmers' groups held a large-scale rally in downtown Seoul on Wednesday, criticizing the Yoon Suk Yeol government and demanding the president’s resignation.

The demonstration — organized by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and the National Farmer’s Federation — took place in front of Sungnyemun in Jung District, central Seoul.

Protesters condemned the government’s inaction amid ongoing inflation and falling rice prices, referring to it as poor management.

“Despite facing a climate crisis where crops are destroyed by heavy rain and rice yields suffer from extreme heat, the government has done nothing,” one of the leaders of the Korean Women Peasants Association said during the rally.

Yang Kyung-soo, the head of the KCTU, further criticized the government, saying that the Yoon administration “shows no interest in the lives of laborers and farmers.”

According to the organizers, around 10,000 union members participated in the rally. Police estimated the figure to be at around 6,000.

Protesters occupied all lanes of the road leading to Sungnyemun from Sejong-daero during the event. At least 6,600 police officers were dispatched in case of possible physical clashes.

The event included smaller rallies at five locations across Jung District, starting around 12:30 p.m., before participants gathered for the main demonstration at 3 p.m.

Members of the National Farmer's Federation march in a large-scale rally criticizing the Yoon Suk Yeol government in downtown Seoul on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

After the rally, protesters marched toward Seoul Station, about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) from Sungnyemun. The march was shorter than anticipated, as the event was scheduled to conclude by 5 p.m.

The weekday demonstration disrupted the lives of many nearby office workers.

"I had to wear earphones at work because the noise was so loud," said a 30-year-old office worker at a company near the rally's stage.

"I'm also worried that traffic will be heavy after work."

Wednesday’s rally took place less than two weeks after the KCTU held a large-scale protest in downtown Seoul on Nov. 9. The event drew some 30,000 participants, according to police.

Unlike the earlier protest, Wednesday’s event concluded without clashes between protesters and the police. During the previous rally, 11 individuals were detained at the site for allegedly obstructing official duties.

According to police, protesters assaulted officers, occupied Sejong-daero for hours and ignored orders to disperse.

Prosecutors sought arrest warrants for four of the 11 detained individuals, but all requests were rejected by the court last week.

Ahead of the rally, Kim Bong-sik, commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, warned on Monday against illegal activities during large-scale demonstrations.

The KCTU has announced plans to hold another rally on Dec. 7.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO, KIM SEO-WON [[email protected]]