'Urban Rally Leader' Yang Kyung-soo, Chairman of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, Detained... 20 Days After Warrant Issued (Comprehensive)

Police Conduct Surprise Recruitment Procedure at Dawn
Minju No Chong Complies with Warrant Execution... No Major Clashes
Chairman Yang Detained in Jongno, Seoul

Democratic Labor Union Chairman Yang Kyung-soo is being taken into custody by the police at the Democratic Labor Union office in Jung-gu on the morning of the 2nd.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] The police have arrested Yang Kyung-soo, chairman of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), on charges of leading large-scale rallies in downtown Seoul. This comes 20 days after the court issued an arrest warrant.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's July 3 Illegal Protest Investigation Headquarters deployed personnel at 5:28 a.m. on the 2nd to execute the warrant at the Kyunghyang Newspaper building in Jeong-dong, Jung-gu, where the KCTU office is located. On that day, the police reportedly mobilized 40 units to conduct an internal search using elevators and emergency staircases.

The police secured Chairman Yang's custody inside the building at around 6:09 a.m. Chairman Yang reportedly complied with the warrant execution and expressed his willingness to accompany the officers.

At around 6:29 a.m., Chairman Yang exited the building and boarded a transport vehicle, saying, "Please prepare diligently for the general strike in October." After the deployment of personnel that day, KCTU officials attempted to enter the KCTU building, leading to a scuffle with police controlling the nearby area, but no major clashes occurred. Chairman Yang was detained at the Jongno Police Station detention center in Seoul. A police official stated, "He will be transferred after additional investigation."

Chairman Yang is accused of leading several illegal protests in downtown Seoul from May to July this year. On charges including violation of the Assembly and Demonstration Act and the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, an arrest warrant was issued by the court on the 13th of last month.

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