Members of the Jeon Bong-jun Struggle Group of the Korean Peasants League drive tractors to Seoul on the 22nd to hold a rally urging the arrest and detention of President Yoon Suk Yeol, but are blocked by police barricades near Namtaeryeong Pass in Seoul. /Courtesy of News1

The Emergency Action for Yoon Suk-yeol's Immediate Resignation and Social Reform held a rally on the 22nd at the location where a standoff between the Korean Peasants League (Jeonnong) and the police, who were staging a 'tractor protest,' continued.

The Emergency Action for Yoon Suk-yeol's Immediate Resignation and Social Reform announced that they held a 'Citizens' Rally to Call for the Guarantee of Farmers' March' at 2 p.m. near Namtaeryeong Station in Bangbae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, together with Jeonnong and the National Federation of Farmers' Associations. Namtaeryeong Station is where the 'Jeon Bong-jun Brigade,' a part of Jeonnong who set out to protest with tractors, has been in a prolonged standoff with the police.

Over 30 tractors and 50 trucks of the Jeon Bong-jun Brigade attempted to enter Seoul via Gwacheon-daero around noon the previous day but were blocked by the police near Namtaeryeong Pass, continuing the standoff for over 24 hours. Of these, three tractors managed to enter Seoul but returned to Namtaeryeong after being blocked by the police at Dongjak Bridge. They are demanding the arrest of President Yoon Suk-yeol.

Jeonnong planned to march to President Yoon's residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, and Gwanghwamun to demand his resignation the previous day, but the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency issued a 'restriction notice' citing traffic inconvenience. The protesters, who set out from various places nationwide since the 16th, attempted to head to Seoul after holding a rally on the 19th in front of Government Complex Sejong to condemn the exercise of the right to request reconsideration of the Grain Management Act (veto).

The Jeon Bong-jun Struggle Group of the Korean Peasants League is stopped by police near Namtaeryeong in Seocho-gu, Seoul, while staging a tractor march rally on the 22nd. /Courtesy of Yonhap News

To block Jeonnong's entry, the police erected a barrier and controlled both directions of Gwacheon-daero, causing severe congestion. Physical clashes occurred as the police pulled out a driver who attempted to lift a police bus with a tractor, resulting in a broken tractor windshield. Police detained two people on charges of assaulting officers.

As these facts became known online, citizens joined in, effectively transforming the location into a protest site. Those gathered at the site are demanding the removal of police barriers, waving light sticks to K-pop, and chanting slogans such as 'Impeach Yoon Suk-yeol.'

The Emergency Action for Yoon Suk-yeol's Immediate Resignation and Social Reform also held a press conference at 10 a.m., stating, 'The police blocked the Jeon Bong-jun Brigade's tractors at the entrance to Namtaeryeong trying to enter Seoul,' claiming 'the unreasonable and unjust suppression of freedom of expression and assembly by the police.'