South Korea prepares to prevent violence on impeachment day

South Korean police pledged on March 4 to mobilize all available resources to prevent possible clashes on the day the Constitutional Court issues a ruling on the impeachment trial of President Yoon Suk-yeol over his failed attempt to impose martial law, Yonhap news agency reported.

Acting National Police Chief Lee Ho Young said police reinforcements and other measures, including possible orders to use batons to suppress protesters, would be prepared on the day the verdict is announced.

He stressed that he would mobilize all police forces to prevent a recurrence of similar cases in the past and prevent clashes between supporters and opponents of the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol, including the possibility of violence breaking out at the Constitutional Court.

On March 1, about 110,000 people protested in Seoul to oppose the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol, while more than 13,000 supporters of the impeachment also marched nearby.

Police had to mobilize 6,400 officers from 97 mobile units across the country, along with 230 buses to maintain order. They set up multiple layers of barricades, using buses to separate protest areas.