Hundreds of small business owners rallied in South Korea’s capital on Wednesday, calling for withdrawal of a curfew and tough coronavirus restrictions on restaurants, cafes, gyms and other facilities. The protesters pumped their fists in air and chanted, “Guarantee right to live!” and “Scrap restrictions on business operations!”
Some jeered when a lawmaker took podium to explain aid packages proposed by governing party presidential candidate. But no major violence or clashes with police erupted. Under current social distancing guidelines, up to 299 people are allowed to join rallies but all must be fully vaccinated.
On Saturday, South Korea reimposed its toughest social distancing rules to try to control a record-breaking surge of coronavirus. Most new cases in South Korea are still delta variant, but health officials say new omicron variant could become the dominant strain in a few months.
