KCTU: "Government Shifts 'Quarantine Responsibility'... Prime Minister Kim Bu-gyeom Must Apologize"

Yang Kyung-soo, Chairman of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), is speaking at the 'KCTU Statement on the 7.3 National Workers' Rally' press conference held at the KCTU office in Seoul on the morning of the 27th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 27th, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), which recently held a series of large-scale rallies, demanded an apology from Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, accusing the government of shifting the responsibility for quarantine measures onto the KCTU.

On the morning of the 27th, the KCTU held a press conference at its office in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, stating, "We demand an official apology from Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum for remarks implying that the KCTU rallies caused the COVID-19 outbreak," and added, "We call for practical measures for rallies, not excessive restrictions, especially for outdoor gatherings where the risk of infection is significantly low." The KCTU also plans to proceed with a protest scheduled for the 30th at the National Health Insurance Service in Wonju, Gangwon Province.

Additionally, the KCTU expressed its stance on demands for establishing a framework for labor-government negotiations and taking legal action against media outlets that have engaged in malicious reporting.

The KCTU argued that a direct link between the July 3rd National Workers' Rally and the COVID-19 outbreak cannot be confirmed. The quarantine authorities announced on the 26th that three participants of the KCTU rally who tested positive had been infected after dining at a restaurant on the 7th of this month.

The KCTU claims that the government is shifting the "quarantine responsibility" onto the union. The organization stated, "Around the July 3rd National Workers' Rally, a malicious framing campaign blaming the KCTU for the COVID-19 resurgence has been propagated, centered on the government," and added, "The government has formed a large-scale special investigation unit within the police and is excessively issuing summonses and conducting searches of mobile phones for 23 KCTU leaders and rally participants."

The KCTU held a rally in downtown Seoul on the 3rd, attended by over 8,000 people. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency formed a special investigation unit of 52 members, led by the head of the investigation department, to begin the inquiry. The police have booked 23 organizers and key participants for violations of the Assembly and Demonstration Act, general obstruction of traffic, and the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act. Investigations are ongoing, including searches conducted on some targets such as KCTU Chairman Yang Kyung-soo.