4 September, 2021IndustriALL Global Union is outraged over the arrest of KCTU president YANG Kyeung-soo in the early hours of 2 September. The arrest came after Korean police raided the KCTU headquarters, dragging out YANG Kyeung-soo.
An arrest warrant had been issued 20 days earlier by the Seoul Central District Court for organizing a rally, allegedly violating the Criminal Act provisions against general obstruction of traffic, the Assembly and Demonstration Act and the Act on Infectious Disease Control and Prevention.
IndustriALL Global Union vehemently condemns the arrest and considers it an outrageous, unacceptable attack on fundamental workers’ rights to freedom of association and peaceful assembly.
IndustriALL joins the International Trade Union Confederation in labelling the arrest warrant “wrong and disproportionate”, as participants observed social distancing rules and necessary precautions to prevent the spread of Covid-19, including wearing of masks and temperature checks.
IndustriALL Global Union demands that YANG Kyeung-soo is immediately released and that the Korean government stop using the pandemic as an excuse to crack down on the democratic union movement.
IndustriALL expresses its solidarity with KCTU.