'Minjunochong 10,000 Rally' Yoon Government Police Response Countdown... Police Deployment Expected to Exceed 5,000

Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Provinces Mobilize Experienced Forces for 'Firm Response' Policy
Police Activate Order Maintenance Line... Minimize Citizen Inconvenience

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Sehee] The police are expected to deploy over 5,000 officers on-site to respond to the large-scale rally organized by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (Minjunochong). Following the Presidential Transition Committee's order for a 'strict response' to the rally, this is interpreted as an effort to maintain public order and minimize inconvenience to citizens.

According to the police on the 12th, approximately 5,000 officers will be deployed on-site to respond to the Minjunochong rally and the farmers' assembly scheduled for the 13th. The National Police Agency and Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency are expected to hold pre-meeting strategy sessions in the afternoon to decide on the response direction. These meetings will be attended by heads of security, intelligence, and investigation divisions from the National Police Agency, Seoul Police Agency, and frontline police stations.

A National Police Agency official stated, "Due to the nature of the Minjunochong rally and the farmers' assembly, there are many variables," adding, "We believe that deploying about half of the minimum expected crowd size (10,000 people) will be necessary for an effective response." The official also noted, "If the actual number of attendees exceeds 10,000, additional personnel may be deployed on the day."

The police have confirmed that over 1,000 officers from the mobile units of the Seoul and Gyeonggi regions will be deployed, along with support requests to frontline police stations and police military companies. Given the potential issues such as heightened tensions and violent clashes at the Minjunochong rally, deploying more than half of the expected crowd size is necessary to prevent threats to public order. Previously, Minjunochong reportedly filed notifications for rallies across various urban areas including near the Transition Committee office in Tongui-dong, Yeouido, and Gwanghwamun.

Accordingly, personnel are expected to be heavily deployed near the Transition Committee office in Tongui-dong, as well as in Jongno, Gwanghwamun, and Yongsan. The police are reportedly considering measures such as blocking rallies within the city center or even closing access routes like the Gyeongbu Expressway. Additionally, they plan to identify major road traffic disruptions and guide detours around congested areas.

The court is expected to partially grant the injunction suspending the ban on the Minjunochong rally. Earlier, the Seoul Metropolitan Government sent an official letter on the 8th prohibiting the resolution rally. However, current social distancing guidelines allow a maximum of 299 participants per gathering.

A National Police Agency official said, "Since courts usually take a neutral stance on rallies, we expect some partial approval," adding, "Regardless of the court's decision, the rally may proceed in the city center, so we will deploy forces based on intelligence estimates of the expected crowd size."

As this rally is the first large-scale gathering since the presidential election, it is anticipated that the government's future approach to rally management can be inferred. With the Transition Committee urging a strict response, the police's response intensity is expected to increase. Choi Gwan-ho, Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, stated at a press briefing the previous day, "If the situation threatens public order, we will make decisions based on the on-site circumstances, such as activating order maintenance lines or designating police deployment points, to minimize inconvenience to citizens."

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