Arrest Warrant Denied for KCTU Union Member Who Protested at Yi Sun-sin Statue

The arrest warrant for a member of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) who climbed the statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin during an anti-Korea-Japan summit protest has been dismissed.

[Photo by Minjunochong]

According to the KCTU on the 10th, Shin Young-hee, the judge in charge of warrants at the Seoul Central District Court, held a pre-arrest detention hearing for Seo, the secretary-general of the KCTU's National Courier Union, at 3 p.m. the previous day and dismissed the arrest warrant citing reasons such as no flight risk.

Seo is accused of violating the Assembly and Demonstration Act by climbing the statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin during a rally opposing Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's visit to Korea and the Korea-Japan summit held at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 6th.

At the time, the police reported that Seo and another KCTU member conducted a surprise protest outside the designated rally area and arrested them on the spot for violating the Assembly and Demonstration Act. The police claimed that Seo played a leading role in this process and applied for an arrest warrant for Seo the previous day.