Minnochoong's '7·3 National Workers' Rally' Scheduled... Government Announces "Strict Response"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 3rd, when the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) announced a large-scale rally, the police blocked major rally sites such as Yeouido and Gwanghwamun in Seoul with barricades and fences. This measure was taken to completely prevent the gathering of rally participants.

At 9 a.m. that day, fences were installed between the sidewalk and the road near Yeouido Station on Subway Lines 5 and 9. The police positioned police buses like walls on Yeouidaero, which the KCTU had announced as the rally site. The police deployed 213 units and set up 59 checkpoints.

Earlier, the KCTU decided to proceed with the '7.3 National Workers' Rally' at 2 p.m. on Yeouidaero in Seoul, with 10,000 union members participating. The government, which requested restraint from holding the rally, has established a policy to respond strictly if the rally proceeds and is controlling traffic at major rally sites.

Currently, rallies of more than 10 people are prohibited in Seoul. Previously, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum and Director Jeong Eun-kyung of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency planned to visit the KCTU office in Jeong-dong, Seoul, to request again that the rally be restrained, but they had to turn back after 10 minutes as Vice Chairman Lee Yang-su and Secretary-General Jeon Jong-deok blocked them.

Prime Minister Kim issued a public statement, saying, "Large-scale rallies in the metropolitan area are a dangerously reckless act that can pour fuel on the spreading flames of COVID-19," and urged, "I ask you to make a courageous decision to withdraw the rally even now." He added, "The government clearly states that it has no choice but to respond strictly by mobilizing all possible means to protect the lives of the people."

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