Man arrested for protest on top of Han River bridge

Yongsan Police Station in Seoul took into custody a man in his 50s for hanging an illegal banner and staging a five-hour protest on top of a Han River bridge on Wednesday morning.

The man demanded that President Yoon Suk Yeol be granted emergency powers.

The suspect climbed to the top of the metal structure of the Hangangdaegyo bridge in Ichon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul at around 5:40 a.m., hanging a banner saying, “I demand the government and the ruling party grant emergency powers (to the president).” The banner referred to emergency powers that can be granted to a South Korean president in emergencies, including the ability to establish martial law, the Emergency Executive Order, and the Emergency Financial and Economic Executive Order.

Police and rescue authorities arrived on the scene at around 5:52 a.m. and tried to persuade the man to come down. The man came down at around 10:52 a.m.

Local fire authorities dispatched 16 vehicles and 67 personnel to handle the situation, installing an inflatable air mattress below the structure to break the man’s fall in case he jumped.

The incident forced the authorities to close down as many as four lanes on the bridge at one point, causing severe traffic delays amid morning rush hour. Some commuters were seen getting off buses and walking due to the traffic.

An investigation found that the man had also staged a similar protest on the Dongjak-gu section of the Olympicdaero highway in southern Seoul on Sunday, hanging the same banner.

The suspect is being accused of violating the Act on the Management of Outdoor Advertisement and Promotion of Outdoor Advertisement Industry, which bans the installation of illegal banners on public structures, including Han River bridges.