First Weekend of 'With Corona' in Seoul Downtown: Protests and Marches Expected Across the City... Around 3,000 People to Take to the Streets

Police responding to the rally.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] Following the implementation of the phased return to normal life (With Corona), various large and small rallies and protests are scheduled to take place in downtown Seoul over the first weekend.

According to the police on the 5th, about 20 organizations have reported plans to hold rallies with a total of around 3,000 participants in downtown Seoul on Saturday, the 6th.

The Release Movement Headquarters reported a rally and march of 499 people from City Hall Station to Hyoja Police Center from 12:30 PM to 4:00 PM, and the National Revolutionary Party announced a rally of 499 people starting at 12:00 PM in front of the Kyobo Building or Donghwa Duty-Free Shop in Jongno-gu.

The Climate Crisis Emergency Action reported a rally and march of 300 people from Seoul National University Hospital to Bosingak starting at 2:00 PM, and the High School Union planned a march of about 200 people departing from the Kyobo Building at 5:00 PM for approximately two hours.

Conservative-leaning groups Ilpamanpa, Gukbon, and the Taegeukgi Unit each reported rallies of 99 people in the Jongno-gu and Jung-gu areas, while Guktubon and the Emergency National Assembly also planned rallies and marches of 99 people in the Gangnam area starting at 2:00 PM.

With the implementation of the With Corona policy, various events and rallies are now allowed with up to fewer than 100 participants regardless of vaccination status. If composed only of fully vaccinated individuals, gatherings of fewer than 500 people are permitted. In such cases, the rally organizers must verify participants' vaccination status or negative test certificates.

The police plan to strictly respond by ensuring the freedom of assembly and protest for participants to the maximum extent, but will block additional gatherings if violations of quarantine rules are confirmed or if the number of participants exceeds the reported scale.

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