'Support vs Oppose Lee Jae-myung's Detention'... Concerns of Civic Group Clashes in Front of Seoul Detention Center

On the 26th, pro- and anti-detention rallies centered around conservative and progressive civic groups will take place in front of Seoul Detention Center, where Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, will be held after his warrant hearing.

Park Kwang-on, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is visiting and talking with Lee Jae-myung, who is on a hunger strike at Green Hospital in Jungnang-gu, Seoul, on the 21st. Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers Group

According to the Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency on the 25th, the conservative group Patriotic Patrol Team, which supports Lee's detention, has reported holding a rally and protest in the parking lot of Seoul Detention Center, while the progressive groups Democratic Innovation Council, Citizens' Participation Plaza, and Batgari Movement Headquarters, opposing the detention, have reported holding their rally and protest on the sidewalk in front of the detention center at 6 p.m. the next day. The reported number of participants for each rally is 300, 1000, 100, and 200 respectively, with about 1,600 people expected to gather in front of the detention center. The Patriotic Patrol Team filed their report first and secured the parking lot close to the main building of Seoul Detention Center.

Lee, who is under suspicion of remitting funds to North Korea through Ssangbangwool Group and receiving preferential treatment in the Baekhyeon-dong development project, will attend the warrant hearing at 10 a.m. the next day at the Seoul Central District Court. After the hearing, he will wait at Seoul Detention Center to learn whether he will be detained. It is expected that the decision on Lee’s detention will be made late that night or in the early morning of the 27th.

Rallies supporting or opposing Lee’s detention will also be held in front of the Seoul Central District Court, where the warrant hearing takes place. Online communities of Lee’s supporters have planned a rally at 9 a.m. the next day urging the dismissal of the detention warrant, followed by a candlelight cultural event at 7 p.m. In addition, many conservative and progressive groups are expected to gather in front of the Seoul Central District Court.

A police official stated, "To prevent clashes between groups with differing positions on the detention of Lee Jae-myung, security around Seoul Detention Center will be strengthened."

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