The 전국농민회총연맹 (전농) formed 'Tractor Protest Group' departed from Suwon on the 10th and was blocked by police as it entered Geumcheon-gu, Seoul.
About 50 members of 전농's 'Jeon Bong-jun Action Group' departed from Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, with 32 tractors that morning and entered Geumcheon-gu, Seoul, around 12:10 p.m. after passing through Seoksu Station in Anyang.
In the rain, the tractor procession, which was moving at low speed using three lanes, came to a halt around 12:20 p.m. near the nearby Siheung-daero in Geumcheon-gu when police issued a 'meeting restriction notice.'
So far, there have been no physical clashes between the protesters and the police.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency has deployed about 1,500 personnel from 20 tactical units in the area. Since traffic congestion is expected over the weekend if they enter Seoul, the police plan to block the tractors.
The police permitted the entry of 20 one-ton trucks into the roads of Seoul instead of tractors. This is similar to a court decision during the protest in March when 전농 moved by loading tractors onto trucks.
This time, 전농 plans to proceed to Seoul using only tractors. Since the police intend to prohibit this until the end, it appears confrontation between the two sides will continue.
The protesters have been on their way to Seoul since the 7th from Gwangju, Jeonnam, Jeonbuk, and Chungnam. They are calling for 'the farmers' constitution' and 'a halt to rice imports.'
Initially, they planned to participate in the 'Civil Society Conference for Agricultural Reform to Resolve the COVID-19 Agriculture Policy' held at Gwanghwamun at 3 p.m. that day.
Traffic congestion occurred in the area of Siheung-daero due to the standoff between the tractor procession and the police that day.
The Seoul Police Agency stated, 'We will deploy about 74 traffic police at the Kia Daegyo 3 intersection and the Park Mi 3 intersection to guide vehicles to detour and minimize citizen inconvenience.'
Seoul City also decided to implement non-stop passage or temporary detours for city buses passing through the area from the intersection in front of Kia Daegyo to the Park Mi intersection along Siheung-daero in Geumcheon-gu.