Cultural venues in downtown Seoul closed today in anticipation of today’s verdict on whether to uphold the impeachment of South Korea’s now-former president Yoon Suk-yeol, following his failed imposition of martial law on 3 December. South Korea’s eight-member constitutional court, which delivered a unanimous guilty verdict at 11am local time, is like many government sites located in the Gwanghwamun area, immediately adjacent to the Gyeongbokgung Palace and the Samcheung-dong gallery district.
The move, which affected a range of organisations in the area, came amid concerns about potential political violence. At the time of writing, celebrations and protests have, however, remained peaceful.
Among the institutions that closed are the Samcheung outpost of the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), Kukje Gallery, Arario Gallery and Art Sonje Center. Gallery Hyundai announced online a two-day closure “to prioritise public safety during and after the president’s impeachment verdict.” The disruption means there will not be a reception for the 8 April opening of Hyundai’s 55-year anniversary exhibition.
MMCA also closed its Deoksugung location, situated in a former palace near to City Hall. Nearby, the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) also announced its closure of the Seosomun Main Branch today and possibly extending through the weekend “depending on the situation”.
Two other downtown palaces, Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung, also closed today, though the more distant Changgyeonggung Palace remains open, with just evening tours suspended, reports the Korea Herald. Other closed state museums include the National Palace Museum of Korea and National Folk Museum of Korea, both located within the Gyeongbokgung grounds. The National Folk Museum’s website states that the length of its closure will “be considered depending on the situation”. Cheong Wa Dae, or the Blue House—that until Yoon’s inauguration was the president’s residence but recently reopened as a public museum—also closed today.
There has been a heavy police presence in the area in recent days, with officers erecting mobile walls to keep anti- and pro-Yoon protestors separate. Yoon’s largely older supporters—waving American flags, donning red hats and appropriating “stop the steal” slogans—have been outnumbered by jubilant supporters of impeachment from a broad age range.
There were street clashes—in which several people died—after another former president, Park Geun-hye, was removed on corruption charges in 2017; she received a 20-year term but was pardoned in 2021. Yoon, a former prosecutor who rose to prominence pursuing Park’s impeachment, won a narrow victory in 2022 by appealing to Korea’s anti-gay, religious right wing as well as a reactive young “manosphere” movement known as ilbe.
The court verdict affirms the impeachment charges first voted on by the National Assembly on 14 December. Yoon also faces criminal charges of insurrection, for which he was detained from 15 January to 8 March; if found guilty, the sentence could mean life in prison or the death penalty. His wife, the former arts promoter Kim Keon-hee, faces a bribery and corruption investigation.
South Korea must now hold a snap election within 60 days, and will be headed in the interim by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo from Yoon’s People Power Party. The forthcoming election’s current frontrunner, Lee Jae-myung of the more liberal Democratic Party, is also under investigation for corruption charges.
