Protests Erupt in Gwanghwamun Against Former President Yoon's Impeachment

On Saturday, April 5, just a day after the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk-yeol, a rally organized by the Liberty Unification Party and other groups took place in Gwanghwamun, opposing the impeachment decision. Protesters chanted slogans such as "The impeachment is invalid, and there will be no presidential election in June," expressing their discontent with the Constitutional Court's ruling. However, due to the unanimous decision by all eight judges of the court and inclement weather, attendance was significantly lower than the previous week.

Around 1 PM, approximately 500 participants (according to police estimates) gathered in front of the Donghwa Duty-Free Shop in Jongno, Seoul, despite the rain. Many wore raincoats and held umbrellas, displaying both the South Korean and American flags. They adorned their umbrellas with stickers reading phrases like "We will eradicate anti-national forces!" and "We will exercise our right to resist!" while shouting slogans such as "Yoon Seok-yeol, Han Dong-hoon, and the eight judges of the Constitutional Court will be cursed for generations!" and "Punish the coup plotters according to the law!".

The atmosphere turned somber when a representative from the Liberty Unification Party stated, "We fought to protect the president with our lives, but we could not stop the illegal and fraudulent impeachment by the Constitutional Court. I sincerely apologize to you all." Some attendees responded with words of encouragement like "It's okay" and "Stay strong."

Many participants expressed disbelief over the court's decision to impeach Yoon. Namgung Il (54), who traveled from Namdong-gu, Incheon, shared his feelings of devastation, stating, "I felt that the Constitutional Court favored the National Assembly's position over that of the president. The president explained why and how he intended to deploy the military, but it seems that was not well received." He added, "I will continue to participate in rallies for the next two months," but acknowledged the need for careful consideration of the long-term direction.

Choi Hong-kyu (84), a resident of Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, who has not missed a rally since the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye, expressed his distress, saying, "I couldn't sleep last night. How can they impeach a president who stepped up for this country and its people?"

Myeong Mo (66), who came from Eunpyeong-gu, remarked, "Today's weather reflects the feelings of the conservative faction who feel robbed of their president; even the heavens are crying. I absolutely cannot accept this politically motivated fraudulent impeachment by the Constitutional Court. Although the unanimous ruling has left me feeling powerless, I cannot simply kneel and accept it, so I came to Gwanghwamun."

Lee Mo (39), a resident of Incheon, who wore over 20 'Stop the steal' badges, expressed his surprise at the unanimous ruling, stating, "I expected the Constitutional Court to provide stability, but I was taken aback by the unanimous decision. I also feel resentment towards the People Power Party for preparing for an early election despite losing the president to a fraudulent impeachment." He urged, "We must not be swayed by public opinion; our voices need to be heard."

Despite hundreds gathering in Gwanghwamun, the momentum of the protests appears to be waning. Just last week, a rally by the Liberty Unification Party and the Daegukbon in Gwanghwamun attracted around 30,000 participants (according to police estimates), while a Save Korea rally in Yeouido drew approximately 9,600 attendees. The Save Korea group canceled its planned rally on April 5 following the Constitutional Court's decision to impeach Yoon.