Estimated 100,000 people rally in Seoul calling for President Yoon’s resignation

Participants hold up hand signs at the first general rally for the “Resignation of the Yoon Suk-yeol Regime” at Sejong-daero, on November 9, hosted by the headquarters of “Yoon Suk-yeol Resignation Movement.” Jung Hyo-jin

Civil society organizations held a massive rally in downtown Seoul on November 9 calling for President Yoon Suk-yeol to step down. The opposition party also held a rally on the same day to urge the acceptance of the Kim Keon-hee Special Prosecutor Act. It was the first large-scale rally on the weekend since Yoon addressed the allegations against Kim Keon-hee at a press conference on the 7th.

The rally, which was organized by “the Movement for Resignation of the Yoon Suk-yeol Regime,” including the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), the National People’s Action, and the Progressive University Student Net, was held at Sungnyemun Gate and Sejong-daero in Jung-gu, Seoul, and drew an estimated 100,000 people (police estimate of 36,000). Crowds filled a 750-meter stretch from Sungnyemun Gate to the area in front of Seoul Plaza. Police closed four lanes of traffic along the stretch. Rally attendees chanted slogans such as “We can't take it anymore. let's drive out Yoon Suk-yeol” and “He's not qualified to be president; step down.”

“Citizens are asking whether the president of this country is First Lady Kim Keon-hee or Myeong Tae-gyun,” said Yang Kyung-soo, chairman of the KCTU. “The Yoon Suk-yeol regime, which does not know what it has done wrong, is covering its eyes and ears and refusing to cease running wild.” “The president is ruining people's lives in the four most important factors in their lives: healthcare, education, labor, and pensions,” said Park Kyung-duk, head of the Medical Solidarity Department of the Public Transport Workers Union.

“Professors are declaring a state of emergency,” said Lee Do-hum, chairman of the Special Committee on Social Reform of the National Council of Professors and Researchers for a Democratic and Equal Society. “Politics, society, and culture have all retroacted in the two years of Yoon's regime, and the president who leads the country like this should step down from office immediately.”

Citizens at the rally strongly criticized Yoon's press conference. “There was a recording of Myung Tae-gyun, but it was just a self-excuse that made the people wonder if they heard something wrong,” said Mr. Shin (61). Byun Hye-jin (52), who attended the rally with her elementary school-aged child, said, “The press conference made me wonder if it was a ploy to whitewash politics.” “People are dying in the medical crisis, but they don't seem to care,” she said. At the rally, clashes broke out as police tried to restrain some union members, and 10 people were caught in the act.

The KCTU held a “national workers” rally on Yeoui-daero in Seoul, which was attended by an estimated 30,000 union members (police estimated number of 17,000). “Whether it's judgment of Yoon’s regime, impeachment, or resignation, the people's anger has crossed the threshold,” said Kim Dong-myung, chairman of the KCTU.

The five main opposition parties, including the Democratic Party of Korea, the Basic Income Party, the Social Democratic Party, the Rebuilding Korea Party, and the Progressive Party - also held a rally near Seoul City Hall Station in Jung-gu, Seoul, for “the second People’s Action Day.” The Democratic Party of Korea held a weekend rally in the city center for the second consecutive weekend, following an outdoor rally on November 2. The Democratic Party of Korea and the Rebuilding Korea Party have announced a third rally on the 16th.

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.