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Seoul, South Korea
Nearly a week after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached, thousands of his supporters rallied in the capital Seoul on Saturday (Dec 21), demanding his presidential duties be reinstated.
Several thousands protesters supporting Yoon, who are chiefly older and more conservative people, have gathered since the midday Saturday.
Lee Young-su, a 62-year-old businessman said, "These rigged (parliamentary) elections eat away at this country, and at the core are socialist communist powers, so about 10 of us came together and said the same thing - we absolutely oppose impeachment."
The South Korean president has also made claims of election hacking and "anti-state" pro-North Korean sympathisers as justification for imposing martial law, which was denied by the National Election Commission.
Also read: South Korea President Yoon impeached: What happens now? All you need to know
Meanwhile, protesters against Yoon were also rallying several hundred metres apart in Seoul on Saturday.
Yoon's presidential powers have been suspended, however, he still remains in office. He has not been complied with various summonses by authorities investigating whether martial law constituted insurrection.
He has also not responded to the attempts made by the Constitutional Court to contact him, which decides whether to remove him from office or restore his powers.
Watch | South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol Fails to Appear at Corruption Hearing
The court is planning to schedule its first preparatory hearing on Friday.
The protests by Yoon's supporters as well as those opposing him, were held in Gwanghwamun in the country's capital.
The anti-Yoon protesters gathered in the afternoon, waving K-pop light sticks and signs like "Arrest! Imprison! Insurrection chief Yoon Suk Yeol" to catchy K-pop tunes.
"I wanted to ask Yoon how he could do this to a democracy in the 21st century, and I think if he really has a conscience, he should step down," 27-year-old Cho Sung-hyo at the protest site said.
(With inputs from agencies)