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| Members of the Our Republican Party remove protest tents which they had illegally set up in Gwanghwamun Square, central Seoul, Tuesday, minutes before Seoul City's move to tear down the tents. Yonhap |
By Kim Hyun-bin
Members of a far-right political party demanding the release of imprisoned former President Park Geun-hye voluntarily removed tents they had set up illegally in Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, Tuesday.
According to the Our Republican Party, around 1,000 members began pulling down four tents in the square at 5 a.m., about 20 minutes before the city government planned to remove the illegal structures.
The removal comes 10 days after the party set up the tents there again following a series of establishments and demolitions.
After voluntarily removing them, the party tried to set up them again in front of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, but decided not to do so after less than an hour, citing safety issues.
"The tents the city government wanted to forcefully remove through an administrative execution are gone. We have neutralized Seoul's execution efforts," said Cho Won-jin, co-head of the party. "We will once again install eight tents in Gwangwhamun Square in the near future."
He said his party would set up tents whenever it wants. "It is our guaranteed right under the Constitution and when the government starts to suppress our rights, it will become a dictatorship," Cho said.
Following the tent removal, the city government said in a statement, "The voluntary removal shows the party admitted the tents were illegal."
It said the city will make the party pay a fine for illegally occupying the space in the square.
Regarding the party's pledge to set up tents again in the square, the city said, "We can't tolerate any illegality that inconveniences citizens. We'll take stern measures according to the law and principles for any future illegalities."
The party initially set up tents at Gwanghwamun Square on May 10 without receiving permission from the city government to stage a sit-in calling for an investigation into the deaths of allegedly five protesters during a rally against the impeachment of former President Park in 2017.
On the morning of June 25, Seoul City removed the tents after multiple warnings. But the party set up more tents in the afternoon.
They moved the tents temporarily just before U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to Korea, but reinstalled them at the same location on July 6.
