Gwangju: Crowds of protesters held rallies on the historic street of the pro-democracy uprising of May 18, 1980, in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Saturday, either opposing the ouster of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol or calling for his removal from office.
According to Yonhap News Agency, some 10,000 people were estimated to have gathered at Geumnam-ro, the city's central avenue, to participate in a massive prayer event, organized by a conservative Christian group, to oppose Yoon's ouster over his short-lived martial law bid in December. Geumnam-ro is the historic street symbolizing the May 18 pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju in 1980. Many people were killed and injured in Gwangju as the military brutally cracked down on protesters who rose up against the ruling junta led by Chun Doo-hwan.
Saturday's protest came as the Constitutional Court has been holding Yoon's impeachment trials over his botched martial law bid. Yoon was also detained last month on charges of insurrection over his martial law bid. His supporters called for Yoon's immediate release from prison or verifying the election fraud allegations, cited by Yoon as a main reason for declaring martial law.
Meanwhile, protesters calling for Yoon's ouster also gathered at Geumnam-ro, just across walls of police buses that were set up to prevent potential clashes between demonstrators from opposite ends of the political spectrum. Around 20,000 protesters, estimated by organizers, participated in the rally, chanting slogans, including "Uphold Yoon's impeachment" and "Out, far-right forces."
Protesters in support of Yoon's removal denounced Yoon's supporters for using Geumnam-ro as a venue to advocate his martial law imposition. "There is a saying that South Korea's democracy has grown, fed by the blood of Gwangju. We cannot tolerate (Yoon's supporters) defending his martial law bid and supporting the mastermind of insurrection at Geumnam-ro," Hwang Hyun-pil, a YouTuber and Korean history instructor, said.