"Large-scale Rally Again Ahead of June Local Elections?"... Will the Quarantine Barrier Collapse Due to 'Trick Rallies'?

Concerns Over Large-Scale Rallies Disguised as 'Election Campaigns' Ahead of June Local Elections
Unlike Assemblies Limited to 299 People, Election Campaigns Have No Attendance Restrictions
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Second Major Outbreak Occurred After 2020 'Gwangbokjeol Rally'

On the afternoon of the 1st, officials from the National Revolutionary Party and the Gwanghwamun 10 Million People's Prayer Meeting held the March 1st 10 Million Prayer Meeting at Cheonggye Plaza in Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Ahead of the local elections scheduled for June, there are predictions that large-scale rallies drawing thousands of people will reappear by taking the form of 'election campaigns,' which have no restrictions on the number of participants. During the last presidential election, similar 'trick rallies' were held in various places, raising concerns about violations of quarantine guidelines. Due to the nature of rallies, if many crowds gather and quarantine guidelines are not followed, it could pose a crisis to the COVID-19 prevention situation.

On the 26th, a rally organized by the People’s Revolutionary Party, led by Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon of Sarang Jeil Church, was held around Gwanghwamun in Jongno-gu, Seoul. They reported the rally with 299 participants in accordance with quarantine guidelines, but on the day, the organizers estimated that more than 3,000 people actually gathered at the site. It is reported that they did not comply with police orders to disperse and engaged in scuffles with police officers and passersby.

Also, earlier this month before the presidential election, a rally was held under the guise of an election campaign. The 'March 1st Gwanghwamun 10 Million National Prayer Meeting' held on the 1st at Cheonggye Plaza in Jung-gu was reported as an election campaign, and it is estimated that more than 3,000 people gathered. Under current quarantine guidelines, rallies are only allowed with up to 299 participants, but it appears they exploited the fact that there are no restrictions on the number of participants for election campaigns.

At this rally, due to the large crowd, quarantine guidelines were not properly followed. Participants who came by buses from all over the country sat closely together under flags bearing the names of their regions, waving the Taegeukgi (Korean flag), the U.S. flag, and the Ukrainian flag. Some of them occasionally removed their masks to eat food.

Earlier in February, the delivery workers' union borrowed the form of an election campaign for Kim Jae-yeon, the Progressive Party’s presidential candidate. The '2022 National Delivery Workers Rally' held by the National Delivery Workers Union of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions on February 21 attracted 2,000 people (organizer’s estimate). They also held a campaign rally in front of the CJ Logistics headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 15th of last month, where more participants gathered than the rally limit of 299.

On the 9th, the day of the 20th presidential election, voters at the 2nd polling station in Sajik-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, are casting two ballots, including one for the by-election of the National Assembly./Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The problem is that large-scale rallies disguised as election campaigns may be held again ahead of the local elections on June 1. The official election campaign period for the local elections is from May 19 to 31, and if many large rallies are held during this period, it is pointed out that another crisis could arise in the currently declining COVID-19 situation. The August 15 rally hosted by Pastor Jeon in 2020 is also regarded as the 'trigger for the second wave of COVID-19.'

There are no appropriate sanctions under current law. This is because the freedom of election campaigning is guaranteed under the Public Official Election Act.

The quarantine authorities have also stated that it is difficult to apply quarantine rules at election campaign sites. On February 16, Son Young-rae, head of the Social Strategy Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, explained at a regular briefing, "It is difficult to apply quarantine rules to mobile campaigns occurring on-site because the size of the gathering cannot be specified. However, quarantine rules are applied as usual to election campaign events where participants can be confirmed in advance."

Son also urged, "Currently, for large-scale events where more than 50 people gather, a quarantine pass is applied, requiring proof of vaccination completion or a negative test for unvaccinated individuals. I understand that each party is trying to comply with quarantine rules as much as possible during election campaigns. We ask for basic compliance with quarantine rules at campaign sites as well."

However, if situations arise in rallies or demonstrations that are difficult to regard as election campaigns, the police may investigate. At a regular meeting on the 14th, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency stated that they are investigating two executives, including Pastor Jeon Gwang-hoon, for violations of the Assembly and Demonstration Act and the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, regarding the repeated large-scale rallies held under the guise of election campaigns.

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