Appellate court rules against ban on rallies near presidential office

SEOUL, The Seoul High Court ruled Wednesday that it is against the law to ban rallies around the presidential office in Seoul's central district of Yongsan. The People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, a major civic group, filed the suit in May 2022 after police denied its request to hold a rally in front of the defense ministry compound that houses the office of President Yoon Suk Yeol. A point of contention was whether the Assembly and Demonstration Act, which bans rallies within 100 meters from the presidential residence, can be applied to the presidential office in Yongsan. It was not an issue in the past because Cheong Wa Dae served as both presidential office and residence. But after election, Yoon moved the presidential office to Yongsan and the presidential residence to the nearby district of Hannam. In January last year, the Seoul Administrative Court ruled in favor of the civic group, saying the presidential office cannot be considered part of the presidential residence subject to the b an. On Wednesday, the appellate court upheld the lower court's decision. Separately, the Constitutional Court also ruled in December 2022 that it does not conform to the highest law to ban rallies around the presidential residence, and demanded a revision to the Assembly and Demonstration Act. Source: Yonhap News Agency