May 19, 2026
SEOUL – On a Friday afternoon, dozens of men stream out of a five-story building in Ansan’s Danwon-gu, some dressed in long white garments and caps, quietly walking away or chatting in small groups along the street.
The building they emerge from looks like an ordinary commercial property, but it is the Ansan Islamic Center, one of 21 mosques operated nationwide by the Korea Muslim Federation.
The crowd, made up mostly of Muslim migrant workers from across the city, had gathered for Jumu’ah — the weekly Friday congregational prayer held around 1 p.m. that replaces Dhuhr, one of Islam’s five daily obligatory prayers.
“It usually lasts about 20 to 30 minutes, with a sermon and group prayer. Not just Muslims living nearby, but people from across the country sometimes come too,” Tanvir Md Khalid told The Korea Herald.
Though an estimated 250 to 300 people gathered for the prayer service that day, both inside the building and the surrounding streets remained calm. Nearby residents, however, said it is not always like that, especially during major holidays.
“There was one time when a delivery truck for my store couldn’t find anywhere to park because people were praying out on the streets,” said the owner of a nearby grocery store, who asked not to be identified.
The center, which can accommodate up to 600 people, often becomes overcrowded during its weekly Friday gatherings when they coincide with major holiday seasons, leaving some worshippers to pray on the streets, officials said.
What had largely remained a neighborhood issue recently evolved into a broader online debate after videos of communal prayers held outside the center on Labor Day, May 1, spread across social media.
The footage showed worshippers filling the area in front of the mosque and nearby sidewalks along a one-way street, drawing criticism over disruptions to pedestrian and vehicle traffic.
“This isn’t like a few dozen people; there were thousands. Are they really allowed to block the streets like that? Some people were even putting mats down. I respect religion, but it should be practiced in a way that respects others too,” one user wrote on Instagram.
“The crowd looked as big as the rallies you see in Gwanghwamun. I’m not saying this because they’re Muslim, but shouldn’t religious gatherings like this be more controlled?” another user wrote.
Around 6,000 Muslims gathered for the prayer service that day, with about 300 to 400 worshippers praying outdoors near the building for roughly an hour around 1 p.m., according to the center.
As crowds swelled in the area, officers from a nearby police station were stationed at the scene to secure pedestrian access and monitor surrounding traffic conditions.
“The road in front of the Ansan Islamic Center is a one-way street with cars parked along both sides, so that large crowds can pose potential safety risks. We monitored the situation before and after the prayer gathering, and there were no major safety issues,” said Park Hong-soon, a senior officer at the Wongok Multicultural Police Substation.
The center addressed the criticism by arguing that such large outdoor prayer gatherings are a “rare occurrence.”
“It is difficult to predict how many people will gather during national holidays. We received complaints after May 1, and going forward, we will try to hold prayers indoors as much as possible,” an official from the Ansan Islamic Center said.
Another official stressed that the center works closely with police and local authorities to ensure public safety when such situations occur.
“We try not to make noise and move in an orderly manner to avoid causing inconvenience to locals. As long as no harm is done to the public, we believe freedom of religion should be respected,” he said.
Police said these outdoor gatherings had been taking place in the city for years, and they have encouraged the center’s leaders to disperse attendees and hold group prayers indoors whenever possible.
“We’ve advised the center to divide worshippers into different prayer sessions for safety purposes, but because these are religious gatherings, police cannot go too far in directing how they are carried out,” an official from the Ansan Danwon Police Station said.
The relatively unfamiliar sight of prayer crowds occupying the streets has sparked arguments over the legal oversight of large-scale religious gatherings in public spaces.
“Even if it’s for a religious purpose, when nearly a thousand people gather outdoors, there should be safety measures on a level similar to those for regular rallies. That’s especially important given the growing number of foreign residents in the area,” said a 52-year-old Ansan resident surnamed Shin.
Under South Korea’s Assembly and Demonstration Act, a rally is defined as a public gathering convened to collectively express a shared opinion, and organizers are required to notify police in advance for safety management purposes, according to Ju Chang-hun, an attorney at law firm Didim Hong & Joo.
But the law’s notification requirement does not apply to purely religious services, as long as they are not held for political purposes, Ju explained.
“There have been past cases in which gatherings held under the guise of religious services, but effectively intended as political demonstrations, were found to violate the law and resulted in criminal liability. The outdoor prayer gatherings at the Ansan center do not fall into that category,” he said.
There is also a view that recurring large-scale prayer gatherings may no longer qualify for exemption under the law if they are considered to undermine public interest.
“The reason religious gatherings are exempt from reporting requirements is that they are generally seen as unlikely to disrupt public order or infringe on others’ rights,” said Kim Byung-soo, an attorney at law firm Nonhyeon. “But when large prayer gatherings occupy sidewalks and parking lots, blocking pedestrians and affecting traffic, it becomes harder to view their impact as minimal.”
Regarding the controversy, Ansan City’s foreign resident support division said the city would work more closely with police and the Islamic center if similar gatherings continue.
“Because these are religious events, the city does not have a separate response manual in place. But we are aware when large crowds gather, and if necessary, we may hold discussions with relevant parties on safety management,” the official said.
While expressing willingness to cooperate with local authorities to minimize disruption to residents, the Ansan Islamic Center stressed that Muslims’ religious freedom should also be respected.
“Many Muslim foreign workers in South Korea work hard across the country’s industrial sectors and contribute to national development and economic growth. The Korean government and businesses also benefit greatly from their labor. Religious freedom is one of the basic human rights, and creating an environment where Muslim workers can freely pray and practice their religion would contribute to a more respectful society,” an official said.