Youth perspective on rallies

[Anchor]

As the Constitutional Court prepares to announce its ruling on President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment, the atmosphere around the court is becoming increasingly heated with insults and loud voices from both pro and anti-impeachment protesters.

Instead of dialogue and compromise, only exclusion and conflict remain at the rallies. How has this been perceived by the young students who pass by the protests on their way to and from school every day?

Reporter Kim Ha-eun has the story.

[Report]

Protests for and against impeachment continue all day around the Constitutional Court.

Even with police right in front, protesters hurl insults and point fingers at each other.

[Pro-impeachment protester: "Go to hell, you bastards!"]

[Anti-impeachment protester: "Hey, you cockroach! You cockroach!"]

Students nearby also face this scene every day.

They can't skip school, and sometimes they take longer routes to avoid the intimidating protesters.

[Nearby school student A: "I was on my way home, and they were cursing at each other... I had to pass through between them. It was really scary..."]

The harsh reality of people tearing each other apart and fighting leaves a lasting shock on the growing students.

[Nearby school student B: "The elderly and young people were almost on the verge of clashing..."]

[Nearby school student C: "'Property damage has occurred'—I see a lot of that in related articles, but honestly, does it have to go that far?"]

The reality they encounter on the streets every day is different from the democracy they learned about in school.

[Nearby school student D: "I wonder if insisting only on one's own opinion can be considered democracy. It felt different from the democracy I learned."]

Experts say it is time to reflect on what kind of democracy the polarization in Korean society is showing to future generations.

[Kim Nuri/Professor, Department of European Culture, Chung-Ang University: "The maturity of a democratic society is the ability to resolve conflicts peacefully, not for conflicts to escalate violently."]

[Nearby school student E: "Since everyone is different and has different thoughts, I wish we could respect each other. I just don't understand why that can't happen."]

This is KBS News, Kim Ha-eun.