Thousands expected at rally to mark March 1 Independence Movement

A large-scale rally will be held in downtown Seoul to mark the March 1 Independence Movement holiday, with tens of thousands of people expected to be in attendance, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced Thursday.

The area around Sejong-daero in central Seoul is being controlled by police during a rally marking the March 1 Independence Movement holiday on March 1, 2023. [NEWS1]

A large-scale rally will be held in downtown Seoul to mark the March 1 Independence Movement holiday, with tens of thousands of people expected to be in attendance, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced Thursday.

Some roads in the Jongno and Eulji-ro areas will be closed off as the rally will be held from 1 p.m. between the Sejong Intersection and the Sungnyemun Intersection on Friday. As a result, traffic congestion is expected in many places, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.

The police plan to maintain traffic flow and reduce inconvenience to citizens by securing an emergency lane to allow metropolitan area buses to pass during the rally on Sejong-daero, the main street that runs through Jongno District in downtown Seoul.

In addition, about 200 police officers will be deployed near the rally and sections where marches will be held to manage traffic. The police officers will also control traffic by detouring vehicles.

Seoul police encouraged citizens to use public transportation as much as possible and to check traffic information in advance if they must use a car.

The March 1 Independence Movement holiday commemorates the massive protests of 1919 by Koreans calling for independence from Imperial Japan during the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule. This year marks the 105th anniversary of the movement.

Commemorative events will be held throughout Seoul, with the Seoul Metropolitan Government hosting a bell-ringing ceremony and cultural event at Bosingak, a large bell pavilion on Jongno, with the participation of descendants of independence fighters.

At Tapgol Park, the historic birthplace of the March 1 Independence Movement, images of independence activist Chong Jae-young, who read an independence declaration to a crowd of more than 100,000 in 1919, will be realized through AI and the declaration will be read aloud together with Chong’s great-grandson.

Re-enactment performances of the movement and a reading of the Declaration of Independence will also be held in and around Seodaemun Independence Park on Friday.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]