Democratic Labor Union General Strike 'D-1' Announced with '500,000 Union Members Participation'

Acting Chairman Yoon Taek-geun (center) of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and other officials held a "10·20 KCTU General Strike Declaration Press Conference" on the 7th at the KCTU office in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The nationwide general strike organized by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), which is expected to involve 550,000 union members, is just one day away. Despite concerns from various sectors, the KCTU plans to proceed with the strike.

According to labor groups and the police on the 19th, the KCTU will carry out the general strike on the 20th, aiming to abolish irregular employment and fully revise labor laws. Yoon Taek-geun, acting chairman of the KCTU, stated regarding the scale of the strike, "We are in the process of confirming participation from 16 KCTU organizations," adding, "The currently estimated number is about 550,000."

The major organizations under the KCTU, including the Metal Workers' Union, Public Transport Workers' Union, Construction Workers' Union, and the Korean Teachers and Education Workers' Union, are expected to participate in this strike. In particular, with key issues such as the irregular employment problem and the application of the Labor Standards Act to workplaces with five or fewer employees, there has been a continuous declaration of participation in the general strike from various groups, including school irregular workers such as cafeteria cooks and care workers, regular and irregular workers at Coway, and farmer organizations.

Concerns have been expressed from various sectors. On the 18th, the Korea Employers Federation (KEF) issued a statement saying, "Amid the crisis caused by the spread and prolongation of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), many companies and workers are sharing the pain to protect their workplaces and jobs," and urged, "The KCTU should withdraw its plan for the general strike and join efforts for economic recovery." Associations of self-employed business owners and coalitions such as the New National Council of University Students posted large posters criticizing the KCTU's general strike amid the COVID-19 spread on 100 university campuses nationwide.

The police plan to completely block the gathering of protesters by installing police lines and barricades. Commissioner Kim Chang-ryong stated, "We will strictly respond according to the law and principles to illegal acts that suddenly endanger the community's hard-won quarantine system."

Within the labor sector, it is widely believed that not only the originally targeted participation of 1.1 million union members but also the KCTU's estimated 550,000 participants will be difficult to achieve. Since the arrest of Chairman Yang Kyung-soo, the union has lost its central leadership, and with the ongoing spread of COVID-19, participation in the general strike is expected to be lower than in previous years. A labor official commented, "It is highly likely that only executive-level union members or full-time union officials of individual unions will participate in the general strike."

Meanwhile, at 11:10 a.m. on the same day, the first trial of Chairman Yang was held at the Seoul Central District Court. He was indicted on charges of leading illegal assemblies in Jongno and other central Seoul areas amid the COVID-19 spread (violations of the Assembly and Demonstration Act, Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, and general traffic obstruction). The trial was presided over by Judge Jeong Jong-geon of Criminal Division 9. As this is a formal trial, Chairman Yang is required to appear in court in person. During the first trial, the prosecution is expected to present the summary of the charges against Chairman Yang, followed by the defendant's response, and then both sides will organize the list of evidence. Previously, Chairman Yang was accused of leading several illegal demonstrations from May to July. Notably, about 8,000 people reportedly attended the National Workers' Rally held in downtown Seoul on July 3, according to the organizers' estimate.

The police secured Chairman Yang's custody at the Kyunghyang Shinmun building in Jeong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, where the KCTU headquarters is located, on the 2nd of last month, 20 days after the court issued an arrest warrant. He was then transferred to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office for detention. The prosecution indicted Chairman Yang in custody on the 15th of last month. Chairman Yang subsequently filed a detention review with the court, arguing that there was no risk of evidence tampering or flight and asserting the unfairness of his detention. However, the Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Appeals Division 1-1 (Presiding Judges Kim Jae-young, Song Hye-young, and Jo Jung-rae) dismissed this request. A detention review is a procedure where a suspect, after an arrest warrant is issued during the investigation phase, requests the court to reconsider the detention decision.