20,000 Attend KCTU Weekend Rally... Dongdaemun Rotary Severely Congested, No Clashes (Comprehensive)

On the afternoon of the 13th, members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) demanded a complete revision of the Labor Union Act and improvements in working conditions at the National Workers' Rally held at the Heunginjimun intersection in Dongdaemun, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] On the afternoon of the 13th, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) held a nationwide workers' rally at Dongdaemun Rotary in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, with about 20,000 union members in attendance. They demanded improvements in labor conditions, including a complete revision of the Labor Union Act and the abolition of the Dispatch Act.

The KCTU initially planned to hold the nationwide workers' rally in Gwanghwamun or Yeouido, but when the government and Seoul city authorities refused permission until the end, they abruptly changed the venue to near Dongdaemun around 1 p.m. The sudden change of the rally location caused traffic congestion.

In the resolution read at the event, the KCTU stated, "The spirit of Jeon Tae-il, who fought to break inequality and pave the way to an equal society, lives forever in the hearts of 1.1 million union members," and declared, "We inherit the spirit of the martyr who opened a new chapter in the great labor struggle 51 years ago and declare a fundamental social transformation struggle."

On the afternoon of the 13th, members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) demanded a complete revision of the Labor Union Act and improvements in working conditions at the National Workers' Rally held at the Heunginjimun intersection in Dongdaemun, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Targeting the current government, they said, "The past five years betrayed by the candlelight protests," and criticized, "We are facing the worst era of rich getting richer and poor getting poorer due to skyrocketing real estate prices. The promise of a 10,000 won minimum wage and zero irregular workers in the public sector was abandoned, and the KCTU chairman was imprisoned."

The KCTU argued that through a complete revision of the Labor Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act, the rights to form multiple unions, sectoral bargaining, and bargaining with the primary employer should be expanded. They also insisted that the Labor Standards Act must apply to everyone working, including workplaces with fewer than five employees, ultra-short-time workers working less than 15 hours per week, special employment workers, platform workers, and freelancers.

They further urged the complete elimination of irregular workers starting from the public sector and the abolition of the Act on the Protection of Dispatched Workers. The protesters all wore masks during the event at the announced location, and there were no sudden marches or movements.

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