Over 20 rallies to occur in Seoul on first weekend after easing of gathering curbs

The center of Seoul is expected to be crowded with nearly 4,000 demonstrators taking part in more than 20 rallies of varying sizes on the first weekend after the easing of gathering restrictions under the government's "living with COVID-19" scheme, police said Friday.

Before this month, rallies and demonstrations, except for one-person protests, were banned across Seoul as part of authorities' anti-coronavirus campaign. With the launch of the "living with COVID-19" strategy on Nov. 1, however, the gathering limits on civic and political rallies were raised to a maximum of 499 people if all the participants are fully vaccinated.

About 20 civic and political groups have notified police of their plans to hold rallies in downtown Seoul on Saturday, drawing about 3,000 participants.

A civic coalition for the release of former President Park Geun-hye has reported 499 of its members will hold a rally and march from City Hall Station to the Hyoja Community Security Center, near the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, at 12:30 p.m.

The same number of people from the National Revolutionary Party, a far-right political party, plan to hold a rally in front of Gwanghwamun Square's Gyobo Building or Dongwha Duty Free Store between noon and 3 p.m., according to police.

About 300 members of the Korea Climate Crisis Emergency Action Network, an environmental civic organization, plan to march from Seoul National University Hospital to Bosingak Belfry from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., while a two-hour march by about 200 members of a right-wing civic group is to start from Gyobo Building.

Most other Saturday rallies reported to police will include 50 to 99 participants, police officials said.

On Sunday, a group of 99 migrant workers plan to march through downtown Seoul at 1 p.m., while 499 people from the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, a militant labor umbrella group, are to march from City Hall Square to the Hyoja Community Security Center.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said it will guarantee the freedom of assembly and demonstration of the rally participants as much as possible but will impose restrictions in consideration of quarantine concerns if more people gather than the reported number. (Yonhap)