Tensions grow at the Democratic Labor Union rally… Police “unwilling to use capsaicin” vs unions “anti-constitutional”
Police have reiterated that they will take a hard line against illegal activity ahead of a massive citywide rally by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions on Wednesday. If the rally turns violent, the police are willing to use tear gas and capsaicin. The union immediately denounced the rally as an “anti-constitutional act,” raising the prospect of further deterioration in labor-management relations.
Police Commissioner Yoon Hee-geun held a meeting on the 30th to inspect the situation of the NCTU rally, and vowed to “take action to disperse the rally on the spot if it is held illegally in the name of a nighttime cultural festival or if it continues to be held in the form of collective homelessness and causes civil inconvenience.” The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions will hold a “total struggle rally” with more than 토토사이트20,000 union members on Sejong-daero in Jung-gu, Seoul, from 4 p.m. on the 31st. Police have only authorized the rally for one hour, until 5 p.m. that day. If the union continues to hold “illegal” rallies under the guise of nightlife festivals, they will be forcibly dispersed without delay.
In fact, Yoon emphasized that “we should be prepared to use capsaicin sprayers if necessary to disperse illegal gatherings.” On the 24th, the police resumed training to disperse illegal gatherings and protests for the first time in six years, and even used capsaicin, a natural ingredient derived from chili peppers, to practice arresting illegal actors. “We have already secured a sufficient amount of capsaicin,” said an official of the National Police Agency, indicating that they are ready for the real thing. Police have not used capsaicin tear gas since March 2017, when they fired it at pro-Park protesters during the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye. Pulling out the capsaicin card, which could be seen as a sign of heavy-handedness, is seen as a sign that the police are not willing to be outmaneuvered by th
Yoon Jae-ok, the leader of the Bareun Nationalist Party, also called on the police, saying, “We must use this opportunity to show that public power is a force that protects civil liberties.” Park Loan, chair of the Policy Committee, even argued that “water cannons and passive water response will not stop a chaotic rally.” The ‘water cannons’ that disappeared from rally sites after the death of farmer Baek Nam-ki in 2016 should also be revived.
The KCTU responded to the party’s threats by calling them “anti-constitutional acts that destroy democracy.” “If they don’t like it, they should stop the old-fashioned idea of beating them to silence,” said Yang Kyung-soo, chairman of the KCTU. The union countered that “there was nothing illegal about (the 31st rally).” “We will rally for about an hour and then disperse without a march,” Yang said, adding, “If the police say they will respond strongly to the NCTU, which continues to plan night rallies, who is causing the clashes?”
e unions.