Snowstorm, Wuhan Virus, Chinese Micro Dust, Could Not Keep Away the Crowd Calling for Moon Jae-in to Step Down
2020-2-18, Tara O
Over the last weekend (15-16 February 2020), a large rally occurred at the Syngman Rhee Plaza (Gwanghwamun Square) in Seoul, South Korea, despite the snowstorm, below freezing temperatures, micro dust pollution from China, and the threat of Wuhan Virus. The group, “Pan National Struggle for Moon to Resign” gathered to criticize the Moon Jae-in government as part of the “Set the Republic of Korea on the correct path” movement.
The gatherers consider the greatest threat to the Republic of Korea to be Moon Jae-in, his administration, his party, and his supporting groups outside of the government working to convert South Korea into a socialist and communist state. Kim Yang-hee, a woman in her 60s, said “The greater problem than the Wuhan Virus is that the country is about to turn communist.”
Freedom News, a YouTube channel, which has been monitoring the three major newspapers–Chosun Ilbo, Joongang Ilbo, and DongA Ilbo—conveyed that only Chosun Ilbo reported the rally. These major newspapers and other media, other than small news outlets and YouTube, have been ignoring the “pro-freedom” crowd for the most part in the last three years. They did report the crowd during the anti-Cho Kuk protests held on October 3, 2019.
Park Seon-young (박선영), the Chairwoman of Mulmangcho Foundation (물망초재단), which has worked on behalf of the escapees from North Korea, including South Korean military POWs held in North Korea against their will, spoke at the rally. Park said “Is it normal (for a political party) to sue (a citizen) because she wrote ‘don’t select the (ruling) Minjoo Party’?” and continued, “Let’s shout together. We won’t vote for the (Deoburreo) Minjoo Party. Sue me too!”
Park was referring to an Op-ed written by Lim Mi-ri (임미리), a left-leaning professor researching labor issues criticizing the Moon administration and his party. Lim wrote a column titled “Excluding the Minjoo Party” in a left-leaning Kyunghyang Newspaper, which has been pro-Moon. She criticized their behaviors, including the new Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae replacing all the personnel investigating the Blue House under the Prosecutor General (except for two, who were appointed by Cho Kuk) on an election rigging case, the (biased) judge who repeatedly rejected the prosecutors’ requests to incarcerate Cho Kuk, and the (biased) Seoul Central District Attorney’s Office refusing the prosecutor general’s request to indict Blue House senior officials involved in the Ulsan mayoral election rigging. (For more on the Ulsan and other mayoral election rigging, see here). Lim concluded by saying ‘Let’s vote (for any party), except for the (Deobureo) Minjoo Party.”
The Deobureo Minjoo Party swiftly filed a criminal charge against her and Kyunghyang Newspaper for violating the Election Law. After a public backlash, the ruling party withdrew the charge.
Another speaker at the rally, Kim Moon-soo, the leader of the newly-formed Liberty Unification Party, said, “Is it right for the Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea to say ‘you must be comfortable and relaxed since there are less customers?” and continued “we’d be comfortable and relaxed when President Moon is gone, not when the customers are gone.”
Kim is referring to the new prime minister Chung Sye-kyun (정세균), who on February 13, 2020 visited self-employed businesses in the Shinchon area of Seoul, where businesses were suffering. At a small restaurant, Chung said “You must be comfortable and relaxed since there are less customers these days” and at another store he said “You should endure with the lot of money you made.” Chung’s remarks earned him criticism for not knowing the difficulties that these self-employed businesses are going through due to not only the Wuhan Coronavirus, but also the continuously worsening economy from the Moon administration’s anti-business policies.
After the rally at Syngman Rhee Plaza, the group went to the Blue House to protest. Until recently, in this area, a crowd of 100s to 1000s conducted a 24 hour a day/7 day a week gathering for midnight prayers as well as to call for Moon Jae-in to step down beginning on October 3, 2019. On February 13, 2020, Seoul’s Jongno District Mayor or the Seoul Mayor broke up the assembly by force, violating peaceful freedom of assembly. (0:11)
A young YouTuber, Youth Detective (청년탐정) video taped the forced removal of tents and others in the area. He said the light blue-vested people conducted an early morning raid by the Blue House. (0:03) Here is a burly man wearing a light-blue vest about to start a fight with those who were forcibly moved, many of whom were mother or grandmother age. (0:14)
The group vowed to continue their prayers and rallies. There are other groups conducting flag rallies. The pro-freedom rallies will continue to be held every Saturday, as it has for the past three years. Additionally, they are also getting ready for another massive March 1 Movement Day rally less than two weeks away.
