"Neglect of Anti-Democracy" and "Political Quarantine" Gwanghwamun Rally Sparks Ruling and Opposition Party Dispute

Differences Between Ruling and Opposition Parties on Gwanghwamun Rally at Legislation and Judiciary Committee Hearing
Opposition: "Anti-democratic Court Neglected," Criticizes "Political Quarantine"
Ruling Party's Partial Rally Approval Sparks "Significant Public Anger"

On October 3rd, National Foundation Day, Gwanghwamun Square was surrounded by police buses. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] On the 7th, when the first National Assembly audit of the 21st National Assembly was held, the ruling and opposition parties showed sharp differences of opinion over the court's permission for the Liberation Day and National Foundation Day rallies in downtown Seoul during the Supreme Court audit by the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee (Legislation Committee).

Yoo Sang-beom, a member of the People Power Party, criticized, "Although the Moon Jae-in administration advocated 'square democracy,' the court allowed the complete blockade of the Gwanghwamun rally," adding, "A country where rallies cannot be freely held is a dictatorship. The court neglected anti-democracy by blocking even one-person protests by the people."

Jo Su-jin, also from the same party, pointed out, "There are no principles applied to the funeral of former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions press conference, cafes, or amusement parks, but only the Gwanghwamun rally was banned. Isn't this political quarantine?"

On the other hand, the Democratic Party criticized the court's decision to allow some Gwanghwamun rallies.

Park Beom-gye, a member of the Democratic Party, pointed out, "The decision permitting the Liberation Day rally expresses concern about the spread of infectious diseases but also states that it is difficult to assert the spread of infectious diseases. This means there are two voices in one decision."

Shin Dong-geun said, "There is considerable public anger over the permission of the National Foundation Day rally," adding, "On that day, two rallies were allowed. As conditions, windows could not be opened under any circumstances, and chanting slogans was prohibited, but these were not followed."

In response, Cho Jae-yeon, head of the Court Administration Office, said, "Out of the four National Foundation Day rallies, two were dismissed and two were partially accepted," adding, "The presiding judges handled the cases with sufficient consideration, and I find it difficult to agree with the criticism that responsibility was neglected."

During the National Assembly audit of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, criticism continued regarding the so-called 'Jaeinsanseong' (Rein Fortress) blockade measures with barricades at Gwanghwamun on National Foundation Day. In response, Jin Young, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, explained, "Since the quarantine authorities prohibited the rallies, they had to be blocked, and although the installation of barricades was somewhat regrettable from the police perspective, it was an unavoidable choice."

Jeon Ju-hye, a member of the People Power Party, raised issues about the independence and fairness of the 'Kim Myung-soo Supreme Court' during the Legislation Committee audit.

Jeon criticized, "Biased rulings with a particular tendency are coming out in political cases such as the Gyeonggi Governor Lee Jae-myung case and the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union case," adding, "Code appointments lead to code rulings."

In response, Cho said, "The appointment of Supreme Court justices is reviewed through fair and heated discussions by the Supreme Court Justice Recommendation Committee."

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