Downtown divided by pro-impeachment and anti-impeachment rally...a heightened tension

[Anchor]
It's the first weekend since Yoon Suk Yeol's arrest warrant was reissued.

Tensions are rising as not only near the presidential residence but also throughout the city are divided into pro-impeachment and anti-impeachment rallies.

There is a reporter on the scene. Reporter Bae Minhyuk!

How's the situation in front of the official residence?

[Reporter]
Yes, the weather got colder as the sun went down, but the road near the official residence is full of participants in the pro-impeachment and anti-impeachment rally.

Participants are heavily armed with cold-weather items such as thick coats, eating warm food, and enduring the cold.

Around the entrance to the presidential residence here, there are rallies for impeachment every day around Hannam-daero.Supporters of President Yoon

are insisting on protecting the president, saying the impeachment and arrest warrants are invalid.

On the other hand, pro-impeachment groups also hold daily rallies in the neighborhood and oppose the immediate execution of an arrest warrant for President Yoon, the leader of the insurrection.

There has been no physical conflict between the two sides yet, but tensions are still high as confrontations continue and loud voices come and go.

[Anchor]
Apart from the vicinity of the official residence, rallies are being held all over the city?

[Reporter]
Yes, it is.

Since it is the first weekend after President Yoon Suk Yeol's second arrest warrant was issued, large-scale rallies are taking place in various parts of the city besides the official residence.

윤 대통령 탄핵을 촉구하는 측은 오늘 오후 광화문 동십자각 인근에서 대통령 탄핵 찬성 집회가 열리고 있습니다.

In response, supporters of President Yoon are also rallying against impeachment in the Donghwa Duty Free area of Gwanghwamun.

Due to a series of rallies, downtown traffic is congested, making it difficult to pass smoothly.

As such, the police asked people to use public transportation such as subways when passing through downtown areas such as Jongno and Yongsan.

[Anchor]
What is the atmosphere of security in the official residence?

[Reporter]
Yes, there is a citizen's passageway and there is no major obstacle to passing around the official residence.

However, as there are observations that the execution of the second arrest warrant is imminent, the security posture of the official residence is still strictly maintained.

There are still large buses at the entrance of the official residence and inside the alley.

The view from the outside to the inside of the entrance to the official residence is completely blocked.

Since the first attempt to execute the warrant, the security office has actually turned the official residence into a fortress, installing circular barbed wire fences throughout the precinct and even putting chains around some doors.

It is difficult to see from where I am now to the second and third cordons, but the security service is likely to have strengthened its alertness in preparation for the execution of the second arrest warrant.

I'm Bae Minhyuk of YTN in front of the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul.

Reporter for shooting
; Woo Young Taek Yoon So Jung