Thousands gather outside Busan lawmaker's office to demand Yoon's ouster
People are gathered in front of the office of Rep. Park Soo-young of the ruling People Power Party in the southeastern city of Busan, Dec. 28, to demand President Yoon Suk Yeol's ouster. Yonhap
Thousands of people gathered outside ruling party Rep. Park Soo-young's office Saturday to demand President Yoon Suk Yeol's ouster over his brief imposition of martial law.
The rally began around 11 a.m. when around 30 people headed to Park's office in the southeastern city of Busan to demand he state his position on Yoon's "insurrection."
Park, who heads the ruling People Power Party's (PPP) Busan chapter, was having a weekly meeting at his office with civil petitioners.
Police were called to the scene as the number of protesters grew rapidly, leading to a standoff between the sides starting around noon and lasting until shortly after 8 p.m.
Organizers of the rally estimated the number of people gathered at around 5,000, while Park's office put the number at around 1,700.
The standoff ended with a meeting between leaders of the rally and Park.
"Actions using physical force and violence to put pressure on and threaten parliamentary activities must stop immediately," Park Soo-min, a PPP spokesperson, said in a statement. "We will demand accountability from the forces that used the citizens of Busan for political purposes." (Yonhap)