[Yang Kyung-soo Arrested] Warrant Executed Under Tight Security... "Please Prepare Well for the General Strike"

Police Secure Yang Kyung-soo, Chairman of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, on the 2nd
Pre-dawn Raid and Arrest Warrant Execution Under Tight Security

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] The execution of the arrest warrant for Yang Kyung-soo, Chairman of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, was carried out suddenly at dawn under the police's tight security.

At around 4:48 a.m. on the 2nd, near the Kyunghyang Shinmun building in Jeong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, about 20 plainclothes police officers including investigative personnel from Jongno Police Station and about 40 police riot squad members began to gather one after another. Over 100 officers from 41 units were deployed for the warrant execution. The police, confirming the building entrance and internal structure while communicating via radio, entered the first-floor lobby at around 5:28 a.m. after confirming the building entrance door was opened.

The police secured the stairs and lobby from the emergency staircase on floors 9 to 16, where the KCTU offices are located, and quickly blocked the passage. At the same time, about 10 riot squad officers controlled the first-floor entrance and the two-lane road in front of the building. They then began searching the 9th and 10th floors with the cafeteria and the 14th floor where the KCTU office space is located.

About 40 minutes after entering the building, at around 6:09 a.m., the police confirmed that Chairman Yang Kyung-soo was inside the 14th-floor office. It is known that the lights were off and the door was locked at the 14th-floor office at that time. During the warrant execution, Chairman Yang reportedly conveyed to the police his intention to comply with the warrant execution accompanied by his lawyer.

At around 6:29 a.m., Chairman Yang, wearing a KCTU vest and handcuffed, came out to the first-floor entrance of the building with police officers. He briefly said, "Please prepare diligently for the October general strike," and immediately got into the transport vehicle. Union members nearby pushed the police while shouting "Release Chairman Yang Kyung-soo," but no major clashes occurred.

The entire process was carried out under ‘tight security.’ Even within the police, security regarding the execution plan was maintained, and except for the investigative division leading the execution, the intelligence and security divisions were only informed of the imminent execution in the early dawn of that day. The KCTU will hold a protest rally in front of Jongno Police Station at 11 a.m. that day.

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