"Significance of Wednesday Rallies is Great, Must Be Protected"
Recommendation to Opposing Rally Side to Consider Changes
Police, "Priority Given to First Rally Notification
Cannot Favor Specific Rallies" Concerns
On the 5th, near the Yonhap News Agency building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, the "1525th Regular Wednesday Demonstration Commemorating the 30th Anniversary of the Wednesday Demonstration, Addressing the Issue of Japanese Military Sexual Slavery" and a protest demanding the removal of the Statue of the Girl were held simultaneously.
[Asia Economy Reporters Lee Gwan-ju and Song Seung-yoon] As the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) actively recommended the police to restrain acts that disrupt the regular Wednesday demonstrations for resolving the issue of Japanese military ‘comfort women,’ some police officers have expressed dissatisfaction. This is because, apart from preventing on-site conflicts, under the current Assembly and Demonstration Act (ADA), the organizer who first reports the assembly has priority, so there is no justification to block the holding of counter-demonstrations.
NHRCK: "The Significance of Wednesday Demonstrations is Great... They Must Be Actively Protected"
The NHRCK made two major recommendations to the police. First, to advise the organizers of counter-demonstrations to change the time and place so as not to interfere with the Wednesday demonstrations, and second, to manage and restrain any acts of defamation or insult, and to investigate and take action if there are demands for punishment.
The NHRCK focused on the fact that the Wednesday demonstrations have been held at the same time and place every week for 30 years since January 1992, making it the longest-running demonstration in the world. The NHRCK explained, "This should not be approached simply as a matter of coordinating two assemblies that need protection occurring simultaneously at the same place," and added, "We judged that the focus should be on establishing protection measures for the world’s longest-running demonstration that pursues justice and truth and holds injustice accountable." In response to this recommendation by the NHRCK, the Network of Support Groups for Japanese Military ‘Comfort Women’ Victims issued a statement urging the police to "fully eliminate human rights violations and disruptive acts at the site in accordance with the ‘basic principles of human rights’ to protect the Wednesday demonstrations."
On the 12th, members of Banil Haengdong, a progressive group advocating for the liquidation of pro-Japanese forces, are protecting the Statue of Peace in front of the former Japanese Embassy in Jongno-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]
"Recommendation Beyond the ADA" Leaves Police in a Dilemma
The police, for now, respect the NHRCK’s recommendation. A National Police Agency official said, "We are reviewing whether to accept the NHRCK’s recommendations," and added, "There is no change in our policy to actively manage the Wednesday demonstrations to prevent conflicts on site."
However, questions have arisen as to whether this recommendation goes beyond the ADA. The ADA stipulates that when two or more reports overlap at the same time and place, the police must try to divide the time or location so that the assemblies can be held peacefully. It also allows the police to prohibit the assembly that was reported later if the recommendation is not accepted. However, the conservative group Liberty Solidarity has been occupying the Wednesday demonstration site by standing guard and immediately reporting assemblies to the police station at midnight since late May 2020, when allegations of embezzlement and accounting irregularities related to the Justice and Peace Foundation surfaced. Currently, the priority assembly right belongs to the counter-demonstration.
There is a sense of difficulty within the police. A police officer at a site in the metropolitan area questioned, "I understand the intent of the NHRCK’s recommendation, but isn’t it inappropriate for the police to take sides with a particular assembly?" Another officer said, "It is true that the first priority is the conservative group, and we are managing the situation, but even if we apply the recommendation, it is difficult to determine how to do so," adding, "According to the ADA, priority is given in the order of receipt, so there is nothing we can forcibly do. It is a troubling situation."
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