Han Byung-do: "The Use of Barricades to Control Assemblies Was an Appropriate Response"

Han Byung-do, member of the Democratic Party of Korea./Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] Han Byung-do, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated on the 5th that the so-called 'barrier quarantine' for the National Foundation Day rally was an appropriate and effective response.

On the same day, on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus,' Representative Han said, "The opposition party calls it political quarantine because barriers were erected, but I think that is rather a political claim," adding, "After the Gwanghwamun rally, COVID-19 spread, causing many citizens' concerns, but this response shows that the police handled it well."

Regarding criticism that controlling the vehicle protest with police buses was excessive, he rebutted by saying, "Previous rallies exploded with crowds gathering regardless of court approval," and "Even if the rally is conducted by vehicles, there was a significant possibility that people would gather, so I question whether it would proceed exactly as approved by the court."

He also added, "We are currently at war with COVID-19," and "In such times, if there is even a slight risk factor, I believe it is appropriate to boldly use all possible methods to control it, and I want to evaluate that the timing was also appropriate."

Representative Han said, "Protests are one of the ways for citizens to express their opinions and should be fully guaranteed in principle," but added, "However, we are at war now, and locking down entire cities to contain infectious diseases is a characteristic of many countries worldwide."

He continued, "We should not easily consider the current situation as a normal rally situation," emphasizing, "In such circumstances, it is natural to install barriers, and the same principled response should be taken at the next rally as well."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.