Conservative Groups and Major Labor Unions Hold Large Rally in Gwanghwamun... Ends Without Clashes

On the afternoon of the 29th, a rally hosted by the Liberty Unification Party was held in front of Donghwa Duty Free Shop in Gwanghwamun, Seoul (right), and the 'Public Workers' All-Out Resolution Rally' hosted by the Joint Countermeasures Committee of the Two Major Federation Public Sector Labor Unions was held in front of the Seoul Metropolitan Council. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomibeum] Large-scale rallies were held by conservative groups and the two major labor unions in the Gwanghwamun area of Seoul, but they concluded without physical clashes.

Conservative groups including the Liberty Unification Party led by Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon held the "Ten Million Signature National Rally for Liberty and Unification" around 1 p.m. on the 29th near Donghwa Duty Free Shop close to Gwanghwamun Square.

According to the organizers' estimate, 10,000 participants filled all five lanes of Sejong-daero from Donghwa Duty Free Shop to near the Koreana Hotel towards City Hall. They held placards with phrases such as "Arrest Moon Jae-in" and "Arrest Lee Jae-myung," waving the Taegukgi and the U.S. flag.

From 2 p.m., a "Public Institution Full-Force Resolution Rally" with about 50,000 participants, hosted by the joint public sector committee of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU), was held in front of the Koreana Hotel.

They argued that the government's public institution innovation guidelines are effectively a prelude to privatization, opposing downsizing, workforce reductions, and restructuring of public institutions, and calling for strengthening publicness.

After the rally, the conservative groups marched towards Hyoja-dong, while the two major labor unions walked along the road from Sejong-daero and Seoul Station to near the Samgakji Police Substation. The police operated two lanes towards Gwanghwamun as reversible lanes to minimize traffic congestion. No physical clashes occurred.

At 5 p.m., the progressive group "Candlelight Transition Action" held the 12th candlelight rally near Cheonggye Plaza demanding the resignation of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.

Meanwhile, the police announced that although they have been counting participants under the pretext of safely managing rallies and demonstrations, they will no longer count participants separately starting from this rally. A police official explained, "This decision was made considering the situation where conservative and progressive groups are competitively holding rallies around Gwanghwamun and the Presidential Office area recently."

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