"President Yoon Suk-yeol, stay strong!" "The declaration of martial law was justified!" "Arrest Lee Jae-myung!"
Ju Ok-soon, head of the conservative-oriented group "Mom's Army," made this statement holding a microphone around 100 meters from the Constitutional Court at Anguk Station on Seoul Subway Line 3 at 2 p.m. As these words blared from speakers, Oh Mo (43), who runs a café across the street, noted, "Even with doors closed, the protest noise comes through. It's like the sound of nails on a chalkboard, making my ears ache," adding, "Customers are very uncomfortable."
The Constitutional Court began full judicial proceedings, holding its first full bench meeting on the 16th since receiving the impeachment case of President Yoon Suk-yeol. The court must deliver a verdict of either "dismissal decision" or "dismissal" within 180 days of filing the case.
Since the morning, more than 10 solo protesters both for and against President Yoon's impeachment arrived at the Constitutional Court. The National Emergency Conference on the Current Situation conducted solo protests on both the left and right sides of the court’s main entrance. Hwang Soon-sik, Chairperson of the National Emergency Conference on the Current Situation and one of the solo protesters, said, "We will continue to hold picket protests until the ruling is announced," adding, "A swift verdict is necessary for the country to return to normalcy."
Supporters of President Yoon held solo protests with handwritten signs reading "Oppose President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment!" "Oppose presidential impeachment" and "Protect the president to defend the country; oppose illegal impeachment."
One solo protester was reprimanded by the police for standing too close to another solo protester. According to the "Act on Assemblies and Demonstrations" (Assembly and Demonstration Act), gatherings or protests are prohibited within 100 meters of the Constitutional Court, though solo protests are exceptions. However, two protesters were caught sharing a placard by the police. The police stated, "When two people are together, it can't be considered a solo protest, so please stay more than 50 meters apart," to which two solo protesters argued, "We only shared the placard."
A press conference was held in front of the court. A religious civic group related to Buddhism held a press conference urging the swift adoption of the impeachment proposal and performed 108 bows afterwards.
In front of the court, there were four condolence wreaths signaling support for the impeachment and 12 congratulatory wreaths opposing it. The ribbons on the condolence wreaths read "Year-end sales ruined due to martial law declaration" and "Excessive drinking also tramples on the constitution," while the congratulatory wreaths had messages such as "Please protect the country from the National Assembly's dictatorship" and "The non-rebellion governmental act of martial law was lawful."
Protests are scheduled throughout the week around Anguk Station. At 2 p.m., the conservative group, "Mom's Army," will hold a rally, and in the evening, the "Yoon Suk-yeol Immediate Resignation-Social Reform Emergency Action" will hold a rally near Gyeongbokgung Dongshipjagak, approximately 500 meters from the court, before marching to Anguk Station. These group rallies will take place daily until this Friday and are expected to continue over the weekend. A "candlelight march" is planned nightly near the court until a ruling on the impeachment is reached.
Merchants expressed concerns that ongoing protests would hurt their business. Kim Mo (70), who runs a Japanese-style pork cutlet restaurant across from the court's main entrance, said, "If crowds gather due to protests, it hinders public access and customers don’t come into the store. Protesters don’t buy anything," adding, "It would be better if people would just wait for a decision instead of calling for an adoption or dismissal here."