Seoul City Notifies Ban on Democratic Labor Union Rally on the 13th

Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) held the "10·20 KCTU General Strike Rally" at the Seodaemun Station intersection in Seoul on the 20th, urging the abolition of discrimination against workplaces with fewer than five employees, the elimination of irregular employment, and the securing of union activity rights for all workers. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Hyewon] The Seoul Metropolitan Government has issued a ban on the nationwide labor rally organized by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) titled 'Commemorating the Spirit of Martyr Jeon Tae-il 2021 National Workers' Rally,' expected to be held in downtown Seoul on the 13th of this month. The ban was based on a violation of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act.

According to the KCTU and Seoul city officials on the 2nd, the city notified the KCTU that the rally, which was reported to gather about 10,000 people in downtown Seoul on the 13th, is prohibited.

The KCTU planned to hold rallies in four locations within Seoul city and to organize groups of 499 fully vaccinated participants each, maintaining a distance of 70 meters between groups, gathering on Sejong-daero and marching.

Seoul city and the police viewed the reported rallies, which complied with the limited number of participants per group, as effectively a single rally with 10,000 people in the same location, and judged it to be a violation of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act.

A Seoul city official explained, "The reason for limiting the number of participants is to prevent the risk of infection that arises when many people gather in one place and then disperse," adding, "(The KCTU's rally report) goes against the purpose of the participant limit."

In accordance with the government's phased plan for returning to normal life, Seoul city allows rallies composed only of fully vaccinated individuals up to 499 participants. If there are unvaccinated participants, the limit is less than 100 (99 people).

A KCTU official stated, "There is a problem with blocking the rally even though it can be held safely," and added, "We plan to report the rally to the police again."

Seoul city plans to issue another ban if the current participant limit regulations are not followed.

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