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Separated by contrasting causes, protesters take to streets on March 1 Independence Movement Day

Published: 01 Mar. 2026, 20:20

Our Republican Party supporters rally near Seoul Station in central Seoul condemning what they call President Lee Jae Myung's "socialist dictatorship" on March 1. Around 2,000 conservative activists gathered, according to police estimates. [LEE GYU-RIM]

Thousands of rival protesters rallied across central Seoul on Sunday to mark March 1 Independence Movement Day, clashing over domestic politics and U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran.

From midday near Seoul Station, an estimated 2,000 conservative activists gathered, many holding signs condemning President Lee Jae Myung’s administration and denouncing what they called his “dictatorship.” The participants represented at least five conservative parties, including Our Republican's Party and the Liberty Unification Party.

Cho Si-cheol, a senior member of the Our Republican Party, said organizers sought to channel the legacy of the 1919 independence movement into resistance against what they described as domestic political overreach.

“We organized this event to carry on the spirit of the March 1 Movement, which fought to reclaim freedom, and to denounce the Lee Jae Myung administration that is undermining the liberal democratic system,” he said.

Participants sat along lanes of the road and shouted slogans against the government before marching toward the Korea Press Center near City Hall in the afternoon.

Some at the conservative rally also voiced support for military strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran, reflecting heightened public attention to the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

“I fully support the U.S. action against dictator Khamenei,” one attendee said, and expressed hope that the alliance between Seoul and Washington would grow stronger.

Protesters attend a press conference denouncing the United States and Israel's attack on Iran, near the U.S. Embassy in Jongno District, central Seoul, on March 1. [NEWS1]

Progressive groups held a separate event in the morning outside the U.S. Embassy in Jongno District, central Seoul, calling on the United States and Israel to halt their attacks on Iran. Around 20 activists, carrying cards that read “Hands Off Iran,” chanted criticism of U.S. and Israeli policy.

“We strongly condemn the United States and Israel for brutally destroying the international order and peace,” they shouted in unison.

The civic group People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy issued a statement on Sunday urging Washington and Jerusalem to halt what it called “illegal aggression against a sovereign state,” emphasizing the need for adherence to international law.

A protester wearing a mask of U.S. President Donald Trump attends a press conference denouncing the United States and Israel's attack on Iran, near the U.S. Embassy in Seoul on March 1. [AP/YONHAP]

Police bolstered security around key diplomatic sites to “prepare for any possible contingency,” according to an official from the Yongsan Police Precinct.

The precinct deployed about 20 additional officers near the Iranian Embassy in Yongsan District and the residence of the Israeli ambassador in Jongno District, and strengthened counterterror preparedness measures in the surrounding areas.

The March 1 holiday commemorates the anniversary of the 1919 March Movement, a series of demonstrations for Korean independence from Japanese colonial rule (1910-45) that spread nationwide and became a foundational moment in modern Korean history.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY LEE GYU-RIM [[email protected]]