Seoul Gwanghwamun Rally Tent Removal Enforced... Physical Clashes

[Asia Economy Reporters Hyunju Lee, Bonggi Kim] On the 27th, a physical clash occurred during the administrative authorities' removal of protest tents and items installed on Sejong-daero in Gwanghwamun, Seoul.

Seoul City and Jongno-gu began forcibly dismantling the illegally installed protest tents on Sejong-daero in Gwanghwamun from 6:30 a.m. that day, and the Public Transport Union, which has been holding an outdoor protest for over three months demanding a thorough investigation into the death of the late jockey Moon Jung-won, is defending and holding onto the tents.

Around 8 a.m. that day, a clash broke out when contractors deployed by Seoul City tried to disperse union members, and during this process, one person was transported to the hospital. Both sides continue to maintain a tense standoff.

Members of the Public Transport Union stated, "We have been holding protests for the late jockey Moon Jung-won since December 27 last year, but the political circles have not responded at all," and added, "The Moon Jae-in administration must take responsibility."

A Seoul City official explained, "We have sent two notices of demolition orders and administrative execution warnings to induce voluntary removal, but due to the long-term illegal occupation, administrative execution was unavoidable for the safety of citizens."

Previously, in front of Sejongno Park, three tents of the Korea Christian Federation were storing small tents, and after the protests in front of the Blue House ended, provincial protesters gathered here and continued to stay overnight in the small tents.

For this administrative execution, 1,350 personnel from Jongno-gu, Jongno Police Station, and Jongno Fire Station, along with 10 trucks and forklifts, were mobilized. To prepare for unexpected dangerous situations, 1,000 police officers and 50 firefighting personnel capable of emergency rescue and medical support were also deployed on site.

The city plans to charge approximately 50 million KRW in costs incurred from the administrative execution to each protest organizer.

Earlier, the police announced a ban on protests held in downtown Seoul from Seoul Station to near the Blue House to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), and stated that they would forcibly disperse protests if carried out.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.