Freedom of assembly causes billions in costs as rallies tie up traffic
Published: 06 May. 2026, 06:00
![Agricultural tractors driven by farmers occupy traffic lanes in downtown Seoul during a rally on May 10, 2025. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/05/06/533413b0-89de-46dc-8df0-74cb0b1c5931.jpg)
Agricultural tractors driven by farmers occupy traffic lanes in downtown Seoul during a rally on May 10, 2025. [YONHAP]
Large-scale rallies and protests in urban areas are racking up tens of billions of won in traffic congestion costs, as shown by a recent study released on Tuesday.
If all eight lanes along a roughly 1-kilometer (0.62-mile) stretch from the Dongwha Duty Free Shop to Daehanmun in Jongno District, central Seoul, are closed between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., congestion-related losses of up to 8.3 billion won ($5.6 million) could be incurred within a single day, according to research led by Byun Ji-hye, a professor of transportation engineering at the University of Seoul.
These losses include additional fuel consumption, labor expenses and delays from vehicles operating at slower speeds.
The estimate is based on conditions from Feb. 15 last year, 10 days ahead of the final hearing in the impeachment trial of former President Yoon Suk Yeol on Feb. 25, when pro-Yoon groups and supporters held large-scale demonstrations near the Dongwha Duty Free Shop. About 20,000 people were reported to have attended.
During the six hours that the rally took place, the disruption to traffic spread across a radius of up to 4 kilometers and affected the operations of 3,169,081 vehicles.
Even partial road closures come at a steep price.
When only a single lane on a 1.7-kilometer stretch near Gwanghwamun Square was closed for a protest on Feb. 4 last year, congestion-related losses amounted to approximately 3.07 billion won. The protest was reportedly attended by around 1,000 people, who were mostly assumed to be conservative supporters opposing the appointment of liberal-leaning Constitutional Court Justice Ma Eun-hyeok.
![Police close traffic lanes as members of the Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination stage a protest near Gwanghwamun Station in central Seoul on March 27. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/05/06/78adf358-91dd-4c09-9e25-0d38bca3b5b7.jpg)
Police close traffic lanes as members of the Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination stage a protest near Gwanghwamun Station in central Seoul on March 27. [YONHAP]
The number of rallies in a single year peaked at 171,900 in 2022, when a presidential election took place, according to data from the National Police Agency, provided to Rep. Yong Hye-in of the Basic Income Party.
The country saw 68,913 rallies during the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye in 2017. It recorded 112,180 in 2024 and 111,081 in 2025.
While the overall number of rallies nationwide has declined, they remain heavily concentrated in Seoul.
The downtown area of the capital saw as many as 17 road closures due to protests in a single day last year, according to the city-run Seoul Transport Operation and Information Service.
Seoul saw 35,039 reported rallies in 2025 — around 10,000 more than Gyeonggi, a province 17 times larger in size. The number of rallies in Seoul was also more than eight times that of Busan, which reported 4,184 rallies in the same period despite being slightly larger than the capital.
The trend has carried into this year, with 8,414 rallies reported in Seoul from January through March, compared to 1,006 in Busan, 698 in Daegu and 1,211 in Incheon.
![Conservative protesters hold a rally on a closed road in support of former President Park Geun-hye in central Seoul on Dec. 25, 2021. [SUK GYEONG-MIN]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/05/06/ec16134a-bfe5-47f3-834e-bc94e46546e4.jpg)
Conservative protesters hold a rally on a closed road in support of former President Park Geun-hye in central Seoul on Dec. 25, 2021. [SUK GYEONG-MIN]
With rallies condensed to key downtown areas such as Gwanghwamun, Seoul Station and City Hall, the disruption extends beyond traffic to impact pedestrians and local businesses.
The number of major rallies involving road closures in Seoul rose from 79 in January and 66 in February to 123 in March and 126 in April.
“As rallies concentrate in symbolically significant downtown areas, the inconvenience felt by citizens has grown much greater,” said Hong Sung-gul, a professor of public administration at Kookmin University.
“It can affect the country’s image, as those areas are also heavily visited by foreign tourists. While it is difficult to restrict rallies outright, incentives are needed to disperse them away from downtown areas.”
Experts say policymakers should review measures to make protesters pay for losses incurred by demonstrations.
“Traffic congestion varies significantly depending on whether a rally includes a march and how many lanes are closed,” said Prof. Byun. “For large rallies, it would be reasonable to apply tiered charges — up to three times higher than the congestion costs if a march is involved — while offering lower rates for stationary gatherings that do not block roads or traffic lanes.”
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 KIM MIN-WOOK, MOON HEE-CHUL [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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