On the 15th, in connection with a large-scale rally held by progressive organizations including the National Federation of Trade Unions (KCTU), the police demanded the presence of six people including Yang Kyung-soo, chairman of the KCTU.
At a regular press conference on the morning of the 17th, Director Choi Gwan-ho of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said that 12 of those attending the rally were identified as major participants through photos from the scene.
Commissioner Choi said, “We requested the presence of 6 out of 12 people.”
“We plan to proceed with the investigation as soon as the rest are specified,” he said. “We will secure the effectiveness of law enforcement through a thorough investigation.”
The National People’s Action, made up of progressive organizations such as the Confederation of Trade Unions and the Korea Progressive Solidarity and the National Federation of Farmers’ Associations, gathered at Yeouido Park in Seoul from 2 pm on the 15th to hold a ‘People’s Rally’. About 15,000 people (organizer estimates) participated in the rally.
Immediately following the rally, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Illegal Protest Investigation Headquarters launched an investigation into the organizers and major participants for violating the Gypsies Act and the Infectious Disease Prevention Act.
While the police will conduct strict investigations on general participants, they plan to deal more severely with those who repeatedly participated in large-scale illegal protests in the downtown area last year.
[서울=뉴시스]