Police are taking extra security precautions after the Constitutional Court announced on Tuesday that it will issue a ruling on President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment on Friday. 

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said that starting at 1 p.m. Tuesday, it is no longer permitting news conferences, rallies or one-person protests within a 100-meter radius of the Constitutional Court. 

A police official said the measure is in accordance with a law that prohibits demonstrations within a 100-meter radius of the court and with the Act on the Performance of Duties by Police Officers, which contains provisions on crime prevention and the prevention of danger. 

The official said the aim is to reduce risks, given that it’s uncertain how many people will gather on the day of the ruling, and pointed out that there has already been friction near the court. 

Police were planning to step up security roughly a day before the ruling, but decided to move up the effort soon after the court announced the date.