Seoul City Notifies Ban on KCTU Rally in Front of Transition Committee on the 13th

Democratic Labor Union public sector irregular workers held a "Demand to the New Government! Declaration of Struggle by 1 Million Public Sector Irregular Workers" press conference on the 22nd near the Presidential Transition Committee in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] The Seoul Metropolitan Government has banned the nationwide rally of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), scheduled to be held near the Presidential Transition Committee office in Tongui-dong on the 13th of this month.

In a notice of assembly ban sent to the KCTU on the 8th, Seoul explained the reason for the ban, stating, "There have been multiple reports of assemblies and marches with similar purposes in adjacent locations, raising the possibility of a large-scale rally," and "there is a serious concern about the risk of COVID-19 spread."

The legal basis for Seoul's ban on the rally is the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, which allows provincial governors, mayors, county heads, district heads, and the Minister of Health and Welfare to prohibit assemblies to prevent infectious diseases. Since March, Seoul has prohibited assemblies of 300 or more people in accordance with government quarantine guideline adjustments.

In response, some labor unions have reported rallies involving marches of 299 people each toward the Transition Committee in central Seoul areas such as Jongno. The police expect around 10,000 people to gather for the KCTU rally on the 13th.

If the KCTU defies the assembly ban and proceeds with the rally, there is a possibility of physical clashes. The KCTU plans to hold a press conference on the 11th in front of the Presidential Transition Committee office in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, to express their position on Seoul's ban notice and to urge the protection of the rights to assembly and protest.

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