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| Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions hold a moment of silence in front of the National Assembly in Seoul in this Dec. 29, 2022, photo. Korea Times file |
By Ko Dong-hwan
Rallies taking up all lanes of roads will be banned in Seoul, the city's police agency said Monday.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said rallies in the city from now on will be permitted only if they leave open a minimum number of lanes for the passage of emergency vehicles and public buses. The police agency said it will "secure the lanes by all means."
Street rallies often take up entire roads, occupying all lanes, in both directions, forcing the police to block traffic access.
Rally organizers must submit to the police their rally schedule. The downtown area around Gwanghwamun Square and City Hall, as well as the areas near the National Assembly and the Supreme Court often see large-scale street rallies especially during weekends, prompting police to keep the rally routes clear of traffic and causing traffic jams in adjacent roads.
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| Hundreds of thousands of protesters pack Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul calling for the impeachment of then-President Park Geun-hye, in this December 2016 photo. Korea Times file |
The police agency said that the latest measure won't cause changes to any city regulations, and that enforcing the measure shall be done in compliance with the rally coordinators in advance.
The police also said that from now on they will start confiscating speakers and amplifiers at rallies if they are too loud. The ramped-up response follows mounting complaints from around the city about noise pollution generated by rallies.
When asked whether the measure will discourage a citizen's right to assemble, the police said the measure will be carried out to protect the rights of the protesters and minimize inconvenience to others at the same time.
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