From Expats Returning from France to University Students... All-Purpose Protests in Hannam-dong Demanding Immediate Imprisonment of Yoon Suk-yeol

On the morning of the 5th, when a blizzard warning was in effect, citizens who had stayed up all night gathered in front of President Yoon Suk-yeol’s residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, shouting “Arrest Yoon Suk-yeol immediately.” Despite the cold, they continued dancing to K-pop music and delivering spontaneous speeches as part of their three-day, two-night relay protest. The Emergency Action for Immediate Resignation of Yoon Suk-yeol and Social Reform moved from Gwanghwamun, where the “5th Nationwide March” took place, to Hannam-dong to hold the all-night rally. According to organizers, 200,000 citizens gathered there the previous evening, with around 1,000 staying through the blizzard. As dawn broke, more people began arriving as the first trains resumed service. Jacques Park, 56, an expat who returned from Paris, France, said, “I came back from France to see President Yoon arrested in person. I’ve always felt guilty for just watching from afar while citizens protected the National Assembly during the December 3 coup attempt and while younger generations took to the streets to restore order to the country. Thinking I’m part of them, staying up all night didn’t feel hard at all.” Kim Ye-jin, 32, from Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, vented her anger, saying, “He said in his address to the public that he would take legal responsibility—so why lie again? If he’s innocent, face the investigation.” Public outrage toward President Yoon, who remained in his residence despite a lawful arrest warrant, continues to rise. Kim Ye-in, 27, a working professional, said, “I thought President Yoon would definitely be arrested last Friday, but I felt frustrated when the Special Investigation Agency gave up so quickly, so I came out.” Park Ah-mu-gae, 34, from Busan, shouted, “I consider even the security team protecting the coup suspect President Yoon to be guilty of complicity in the rebellion.” The all-night protest featured spontaneous speeches from citizens of various backgrounds, including young women, workers, and out-of-school adolescents. One woman cried out, “I’m not a worker or a university student—I’m an out-of-school adolescent. I wanted to let people know we exist too.” Nam Young-ju, 34, who aspires to be a poet, recited her own poems to express solidarity among the protesters. Meanwhile, a free photo exhibition titled “Us Who Stopped the Illegal Martial Law,” featuring images of those at the impeachment rally, is being held at a café in Mapo-gu, Seoul. This exhibition of works by documentary photographer Han Mun-hee gained attention when Vernon of SEVENTEEN visited the café with his father. The café posted photos and signatures from Vernon on social media, writing, “We sincerely thank this free-spirited artist father and son for enjoying our small art café.” According to fan accounts, Vernon replied to the café owner’s question, “Is it okay for a famous person to come to a place with such strong political convictions?” by saying, “It’s fine since I’m here with my father.” At a press conference held on the morning of the 5th, just over a day before the expiration of the arrest warrant for President Yoon, the Emergency Action group called for his immediate imprisonment. Kim Eun-jeong, co-chair of the Climate Crisis Emergency Action group, demanded, “Can’t you hear the angry citizens who have spent two cold winter nights demanding his immediate arrest?” Park Seok-eun, permanent representative of the Korean Progressive Alliance, criticized him, saying, “Yoon Suk-yeol is refusing to comply with the lawful warrant issued by a judge by claiming it’s illegal and invalid, using force to block its execution.”