South Koreans held nationwide protests on December 14 to demand the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol over the imposition of martial law on December 3. The protests coincided with the South Korean National Assembly's second vote on impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Protests were held across major cities in South Korea, Yonhap reported. Protesters called for President Yoon Suk Yeol to immediately resign and urged lawmakers from the ruling People Power Party (PPP) to support the president's impeachment.
In Seoul, people gathered hours before the start of a massive protest outside the National Assembly building in Yeouido. According to unofficial police estimates, as of 2:30 p.m. on December 14, about 85,000 people had gathered at the protest in Seoul.
Due to the overcrowding, Seoul Metro officials announced that subway line 9 trains are detouring around National Assembly Station to prevent accidents due to congestion.
Also in Seoul, tens of thousands of conservative protesters, mostly middle-aged and older, rallied against the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol near Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul. Police estimated the crowd at 38,000, while organizers claimed the turnout was as high as 1 million.
In Gwangju, a coalition of 145 civic groups held a rally in the city center to support the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol and marched along Geumnam Street.
Similar protests were also held in traditional conservative strongholds including Busan, Daegu, and South and North Gysangsang provinces.
In Busan, rallies are taking place in the Seomyeon district and participants are expected to march before gathering to watch the impeachment vote live.
In Daegu, opposition parties and civic groups held separate rallies on central Dongseong Street, expected to draw thousands of people.
In Gangwon Province, events were held in seven cities and counties, including Gangneung, President Yoon Suk Yeol's maternal hometown.
Other protests were held in Jeju, Inch, Daejeon and across North and South Chungcheong provinces.
The impeachment motion is aimed at President Yoon Suk Yeol over the martial law he declared on December 3. The first impeachment motion failed seven days ago due to a lack of majority in the South Korean National Assembly.
