Seoul Police "Strict Response to the People's Rally on the 15th"... Traffic Congestion Expected in Downtown Area

44 Reports of Gatherings Totaling 8,000 People
Seoul City and Police Issue 'Ban Notices'... Possibility of Surprise Assemblies
"Block Gatherings and Legally Punish Illegal Activities"

Representatives of the National People's Action, composed of workers, farmers, and the underprivileged including the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, held a press conference on the 12th in front of Bosingak in Jongno-gu, Seoul, urging the successful organization of the People's General Uprising. They plan to hold a large-scale "People's General Uprising" in downtown Seoul on the 15th, demanding the eradication of inequality and the entrenched two-party system, as well as the guarantee of freedom of assembly. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] As the National People's Action, which includes the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), has announced a mass rally in downtown Seoul on the 15th, the police plan to respond strictly, including blocking major gathering points.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency stated on the 14th, "Considering the scale of the annual mass rally held so far, a large-scale human rights gathering is expected, and with participants coming from all over the country, there is a serious risk of nationwide spread of the COVID-19 infectious disease."

The National People's Action reported a total of 44 rallies with 8,013 participants in the downtown area, including Seoul Station, as of that day. Both the Seoul city government and the police issued bans, but the rallies are expected to proceed as was the case with the KCTU rallies in July and October last year.

The police emphasized, "We plan to block gatherings themselves by deploying all available police forces and equipment to major downtown areas where gatherings are expected," and added, "If a large-scale illegal rally is held by participants coming from across the country, we will proceed with dispersal procedures." They also stated that if illegal acts such as assaulting police officers occur, offenders will be arrested on the spot, and the executive committee leading the rally will face legal action.

Meanwhile, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency warned that traffic inconvenience in downtown Seoul is expected as rallies by impeachment opposition groups and the mass rally are consecutively scheduled in the downtown area.

The police plan to operate temporary checkpoints mainly in downtown and Yeouido areas to block tourist buses, broadcasting vehicles, and stage trucks intended for the banned rallies. Depending on the rally situation, traffic control measures such as non-stop passage of subways or route buses (including village buses) passing through areas around Gwanghwamun and vehicle detours may be implemented in the downtown area.

A police official urged, "Since traffic inconvenience is expected on major roads in Seoul, please check your travel routes in advance and use public transportation such as subways. If driving is unavoidable, please detour congested sections and follow the hand signals of traffic police."

Detailed traffic information during rally hours can be checked through the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's traffic information hotline, the Traffic Information Center website, and KakaoTalk (Seoul Police Traffic Information).

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