Seocho-gu Announces "Forced Removal of Yoon Seok-yeol's Flower Wreath"... Some Citizens Question "Is This a Democracy?"

Seocho-gu Announces Forced Removal of Yoon Support Wreaths on 28th
Ruling Party: "Equating Wreaths with Public Opinion Is Narrow-Minded"
Citizens: "They Didn't Even Cause Traffic Inconvenience..."

On the 21st, a wreath supporting Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol was placed in front of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] As more than 300 wreaths supporting Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol have been installed in front of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, Seocho-gu announced that it will forcibly remove the wreaths, raising expectations of conflict surrounding the issue.

On the 27th, Seocho-gu sent an administrative execution warning letter to the conservative groups 'Patriotic Patrol Team' and 'Freedom Solidarity,' stating, "If the wreaths are not voluntarily removed by the 28th, we will forcibly remove the wreaths placed on both sides of the main gate of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office."

The warning letter specified the removal quantity as "all wreaths," and the district explained the reason for removal, saying, "They hinder urban aesthetics and public morals, and leaving them unattended would significantly harm the public interest." The district also warned that if forced removal proceeds, the costs incurred will be collected from the conservative groups.

As of noon on the 27th, the number of wreaths installed in front of the main gate of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office reportedly exceeded 300. The line of wreaths extended from the main gate of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to the boundaries of the Supreme Court and Seocho Police Station on both sides, and due to lack of space, continued in front of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office across the street.

The number of wreaths began to increase starting from the 19th, when Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae excluded Prosecutor General Yoon from directing the investigation into the Lime Asset Management case, and further increased after the National Assembly inspection of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office on the 22nd. The wreaths bear messages supporting Prosecutor General Yoon, such as "We are all Yoon Seok-yeol," "The country lives if Yoon Seok-yeol lives," and "Yoon Seok-yeol will definitely win."

Freedom Solidarity has been protecting the wreaths near the main gate of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office since the 25th by filing a rally report. The period they reported for the rally is one month, until the 25th of next month.

Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol is answering questions at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office audit held by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 22nd. / Photo by Yonhap News

After the district announced its intention to forcibly remove the wreaths, some citizens raised voices of opposition, calling it "unjust." Netizens responded with comments such as, "The wreaths do not obstruct passage, so is it democratic to remove them?", "They prohibited rallies due to COVID-19, and now they want to remove wreaths too," and "Even if the wreaths are removed, the government and ruling party should not forget that this reflects public sentiment."

On the other hand, the ruling party has downplayed the significance of the wreath line or expressed dissatisfaction.

On the 24th, Park Soo-hyun, the Public Relations and Communication Committee Chair of the Democratic Party of Korea, wrote on his Facebook, "Equating the wreaths leaning against the Supreme Prosecutors' Office wall with public opinion supporting the current prosecution is arbitrary, narrow-minded, and inflammatory," and speculated, "The prosecution rate for prosecutor crimes is said to be less than 1%, while the prosecution rate for commoners exceeds 40%. It is likely that such commoners sent the wreaths."

He continued, "Would there be citizens who send wreaths knowing the prosecution's true face, which protects only its own without correcting such disparities in prosecution rates?" and said, "The ruling party should not ignore the will of the citizens sending wreaths to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, but Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol should not accept it as is either."

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