Gwangju, Feb 15 (IANS): Crowds of protesters held rallies on the historic street of the democratic uprising of May 18, 1980, in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Saturday, either opposing the ouster of South Korean impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol or calling for his removal from office.

Some 10,000 people were estimated to have gathered at Geumnam-ro, the city's central avenue, to participate in a massive prayer event, organised by a conservative Christian group, to oppose Yoon's ouster over his short-lived martial law bid in December.

Geumnam-ro is the historic street symbolising the May 18 democratic uprising in Gwangju in 1980. Many people were killed and injured in Gwangju as the military brutally cracked down on protesters who rose up against the ruling junta led by Chun Doo-hwan.

Saturday's protest came as the Constitutional Court has been holding Yoon's impeachment trials over his botched martial law bid. Yoon was also detained last month on charges of insurrection over his martial law bid.

His supporters called for Yoon's immediate release from prison or verifying the election fraud allegations, cited by Yoon as a main reason for declaring martial law, Yonhap news agency reported.

Meanwhile, protesters calling for Yoon's ouster also gathered at Geumnam-ro, just across walls of police buses that were set up to prevent potential clashes between demonstrators from opposite ends of the political spectrum.

Around 20,000 protesters, estimated by organisers, participated in the rally, chanting slogans, including "Uphold Yoon's impeachment" and "Out, far-right forces."

Nearly 6 out of 10 South Koreans support impeaching South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived martial law declaration, a survey showed on Friday, as the Constitutional Court appeared to move closer to decide whether to formally remove him from office or reinstate him.

According to the survey conducted by Gallup on 1,004 adults aged over 18 from Tuesday to Thursday, 57 per cent said they supported Yoon's impeachment, down 2 percentage points from a week earlier.