Police Had Prior Knowledge of Possible Minju No Chong Jongno Rally on the 3rd

Assemblyman Choi Chunsik Claims Based on Police Internal Documents
Police "Confirmed Jongno 3-ga Change at 1 PM... Focused Response"

On the afternoon of the 3rd, members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions occupied the road at Jongno 3-ga, holding a nationwide workers' rally demanding a complete revision of the labor law. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] It has been claimed that the police were aware in advance of the possibility of a rally in the Jongno area during the nationwide surprise rally held by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) in downtown Seoul on the 3rd.

According to an internal police document obtained on the 13th by Choi Chun-sik, a member of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee from the People Power Party, the KCTU-affiliated National Construction Workers' Union, Public Solidarity Labor Union, and Mart Industry Labor Union reported three times to the Jongno Police Station in Seoul from June 28 to July 1 that they would hold a rally in the Jongno area on July 3.

The KCTU actually forced an illegal rally around 2 p.m. on the 3rd, occupying lanes in the Jongno 2-ga and Jongno 3-ga areas with about 8,000 participants (estimated by the organizers). Although the police attempted to block the rally by installing vehicle barriers around Yeouido and Gwanghwamun, the KCTU changed the protest location to Jongno, and the gathering eventually took place.

Rep. Choi said, "Although the police knew about the possibility of the KCTU rally in the Jongno area, they did not sufficiently deploy police forces in advance, resulting in the illegal rally." He added, "The government must thoroughly investigate the actual situation of COVID-19 infections and transmissions caused by this illegal rally and transparently disclose it to the public."

In response, a police official stated, "We were simultaneously preparing for downtown areas including Yeouidaero, the initially planned rally location, Gwanghwamun, and City Hall. Around 1 p.m., after confirming that the rally location had been changed to 'Jongno 3-ga,' which was not the reported location, we concentrated personnel and equipment to respond."

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency formed a special investigation headquarters with 52 members on the day of the KCTU rally and immediately launched an investigation, including filing charges on the 4th against six rally organizers, including Yang Kyung-soo, chairman of the KCTU, for violations of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act and the Assembly and Demonstration Act.

Meanwhile, health authorities have stated that the KCTU rally is not directly related to the recent COVID-19 surge. According to a response submitted by the Central Disease Control Headquarters to Rep. Kim Mi-ae of the People Power Party on the 9th, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters said, "So far, no confirmed cases related to the KCTU rally have been identified, and monitoring of related occurrences is ongoing," adding, "Since no confirmed cases related to the rally have been identified, it is difficult to see that the rally influenced the recent large-scale infections."

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