March 1st Rallies and Marches Across Seoul... Police Strictly Respond to Illegal Gatherings

On the 28th, a notice prohibiting rallies in the city center was installed at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul. Ahead of the March 1st Movement anniversary, the court still applied strict standards to large-scale rallies and decided to disallow them. The intention is to prevent risks similar to those during last year's Liberation Day in Seoul's city center, which led to a COVID-19 cluster infection. However, some rallies with restrictions on time and number of participants were permitted. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] On March 1st, Samiljeol, rallies and demonstrations are expected to take place throughout downtown Seoul. The police plan to respond strictly to illegal gatherings or violations of quarantine rules.

According to the police on the 28th, a total of 1,670 reports have been filed for rallies to be held in downtown Seoul on Samiljeol. The Free Korea Patriotic Corps plans to hold a rally with up to 20 people on the sidewalk in front of Gwanghwamun, Seoul, starting at 11 a.m. Although the group reported a rally with 50 participants, the court limited it to 20 people.

Uri Party will hold small-scale rallies at 150 locations including in front of the Bank of Korea, near subway stations, and traditional markets. The Free Democratic National Movement will hold a press conference to declare the 3.1 National Resistance at the stairs in front of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts at 11 a.m. The Taegeukgi Revolution National Headquarters (Gukbon) will hold a rally in Myeongdong starting at 1 p.m.

The Seoul Administrative Court dismissed or rejected 7 out of 9 injunction cases filed by conservative groups opposing the Seoul city and Ministry of Health and Welfare’s ban on Samiljeol rallies, approving only 2 cases.

So-called 'drive-through' style rallies are also sporadically planned. The Patriotic Patrol Team will hold a vehicle protest from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. after the court partially accepted their injunction request against the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency chief’s ban on vehicle protests. The number of participants is limited to 9 people using 9 vehicles, and they must comply with 11 quarantine and traffic safety rules.

Additionally, the Emergency National Solidarity will conduct a vehicle protest using 9 vehicles from 12:30 p.m. at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts to near the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, and the National Grand Alliance plans a vehicle protest from 1 p.m. along the Euljiro to Sinseoldong section.

The police intend to strictly manage the Samiljeol rallies within the limits allowed by the court to prevent them from becoming a cause of COVID-19 spread. In particular, they will block unreported illegal rallies from the gathering stage, and if the rally organizers do not comply, they will forcibly disperse and take legal action.

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