Democratic Labor Union's General Strike Investigation Accelerates... Another Planned Downtown Rally

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 of last month, urging the "abolition of discrimination against workplaces with fewer than five employees, elimination of irregular employment, and securing the right to union activities for all workers." Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] The police are accelerating their investigation by questioning the vice chairman of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) regarding the general strike rally held on the 20th of last month. This is the first summons investigation since the investigation headquarters was established.

According to the police on the 6th, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's 10·20 Illegal Demonstration Investigation Headquarters questioned Kim Eun-hyung, vice chairman of the KCTU, as a suspect at Jongno Police Station in Seoul on the afternoon of the 4th.

The KCTU held a surprise general strike rally with an estimated 27,000 participants (according to the organizers) around the Seodaemun Station intersection near the police headquarters on the 20th of last month. After the rally ended, the police immediately launched an investigation by forming a 67-member investigation headquarters led by the head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's investigation department, and requested the attendance of about 10 KCTU officials.

The KCTU reportedly conveyed to the police their intention to have Kim, the vice chairman, and others appear for summons investigations in sequence. Additionally, the police executed search warrants on the same day targeting Kim Eun-hyung, Secretary General Jeon Jong-deok, and some other rally participants, seizing mobile phones and securing materials related to the general strike rally.

Meanwhile, the KCTU plans to hold the "2021 National Workers' Rally to Inherit the Spirit of Martyr Jeon Tae-il" in downtown Seoul on the 13th of this month. The KCTU has planned rallies in four areas of Seoul city, with groups of 499 fully vaccinated participants forming units, maintaining a distance of 70 meters, and marching along Sejong-daero and other locations. In response, the Seoul city government has issued a prohibition notice.

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