More than 40,000 supporters of President Yoon Suk-yeol gathered in front of the Seoul Western District Court and continued their rally, chanting "dismiss the illegal warrant" even after the president left the court. Some protesters were arrested by police after crossing the outer wall of the court.
According to police, up to 44,000 people assembled around the Western District Court in Gongdeok-dong, Mapo District, on that day, based on unofficial estimates. About 200 of President Yoon's supporters had camped out overnight at the site. When news broke that President Yoon would appear at the Western District Court for a pre-arrest hearing, supporters exchanged messages on social media saying, "Let's gather in front of the Western District Court." The scale of the rally quickly grew thereafter.
President Yoon, who is facing charges of being the mastermind behind a rebellion, arrived at the Western District Court around 1:54 p.m. to undergo a pre-arrest hearing. The hearing lasted for 4 hours and 50 minutes, from 2 p.m. to 6:50 p.m.
As the pre-arrest hearing began, President Yoon's supporters held protests surrounding the Western District Court. While crowds gathered on the sidewalks near the court, as the number of participants increased, they occupied all 10 lanes of the road in both directions on Mapo-daero. Currently, traffic in both directions from Ahyeon Elementary School to Gongdeok Intersection on Mapo-daero is completely blocked.
As the time approached for President Yoon to leave for Seoul Detention Center to wait for the hearing results, police deployed buses and personnel to clear a path on the road. President Yoon left the Western District Court around 7:33 p.m., heading to the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province.
As of 9:30 p.m. that day, supporters of President Yoon in front of the Western District Court waved the Korean national flag and the U.S. flag, shouting slogans such as "forged documents," "glue documents," "illegal arrest," and "illegal warrant." They were also waving red glow sticks. Whether an arrest warrant for President Yoon will be issued is expected to be decided late that night or in the early morning of the 19th. President Yoon's supporters are likely to continue the overnight rally in front of the Western District Court.
Some participants in the rally displayed aggressive behavior while President Yoon was undergoing the pre-arrest hearing. Police arrested about 10 individuals presumed to be supporters of President Yoon after they crossed the wall of the court to enter the building's grounds.
The Chief Investigative Officer (CIO) stated that around 8 p.m. that day, the protesters damaged two vehicles carrying prosecutors who attended President Yoon's pre-arrest hearing. Supporters are reported to have broken car door handles and deflated tires.