CEO Kim Ki-hyun "Freedom of Assembly and Demonstration Abused"
Spokesperson Jang Dong-hyuk "Sejong-daero Will Become Traffic Hell"
As the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) announced a large-scale downtown rally on the 31st, the People Power Party stated, "No one is granted the privilege to abuse the freedom of assembly and demonstration to infringe upon the freedom of innocent others."
Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, posted on Facebook on the 28th, beginning with "No one has the freedom to arbitrarily infringe upon the freedom of others." He said, "The violent rallies and demonstrations recently conducted by some large aristocratic unions, their political alliance groups, and self-proclaimed civil society organizations exceed the inherent limits of freedom and should not be allowed," emphasizing, "This is the global standard for rallies and demonstrations in advanced countries."
Kim continued, "Violent rallies involving slingshots, iron pipes, and group lynching must be fundamentally prohibited," and pointed out, "Illegal acts such as excessive noise, verbal abuse, and road occupation that cause immense suffering to the daily lives of the people and infringe upon students' right to learn are subjects of expulsion, not tolerance."
Kim Ki-hyun, leader of the People Power Party, stated on the 28th through SNS, "Violent assemblies must not be allowed." [Image source=Captured from Kim Ki-hyun's Facebook]
He also said, "Large aristocratic unions are no longer the 'Eul' (the weaker party) in our society but have rather become 'super Gap' (the dominant party), and it is contradictory for a super Gap to act like an Eul," adding, "The real Eul are small business owners and ordinary citizens who suffer tremendous damage because of the super Gap but cannot speak out and only suffer in silence."
Kim stated, "The People Power Party will stand on the side of small business owners and ordinary citizens," and demanded, "We hope the Democratic Party will stop its double standards and respond positively to the government and ruling party's reform measures aimed at modernizing the assembly and demonstration system."
Jang Dong-hyuk, the People Power Party floor spokesperson, also said in a statement that day, "The more the KCTU persists in illegal rallies with unreasonable claims, the more it alienates the public," and added, "The government intends to rectify the unions' illegal activities."
The KCTU plans to hold a "Warning Strike Resolution Rally" on the afternoon of the 31st around Sejong-daero in Seoul, with about 20,000 union members participating. The KCTU claims that the government is implementing anti-labor policies and that the police are conducting targeted investigations against the KCTU.
In response, Floor Spokesperson Jang criticized, "Claiming that investigations into union leaders who led illegal rallies and demonstrations are targeted investigations is an admission of being 'extraterritorial privilege claimants,'" and questioned, "Since when did nuisances such as drunkenness, public urination, and road occupation camping become part of our country's healthy nightlife culture?"
He further said, "The 'traffic hell' expected around Sejong-daero on the 31st for the resolution rally is obvious," and added, "Many citizens are watching with suspicion, wondering if this is directed by North Korea. The government should guarantee the freedom of assembly to the maximum extent for legal rallies and respond strictly to illegal ones."
Earlier, on the 10th, the Suwon District Court Public Investigation Division (Chief Prosecutor Jeong Won-du) indicted four former KCTU executives?A (52), former head of the KCTU Organization Dispute Department; B (48), former head of the KCTU Health and Medical Union Organization; C (54), former vice chairman of the KCTU Metal Union; and D (51), former head of the organization department of a KCTU-affiliated federation?on charges of violating the National Security Act (espionage, special infiltration and escape, meetings and communications, provision of convenience, etc.). The 90 North Korean directive documents found in their offices and residences represent the largest scale in the history of National Security Act violation cases.
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