(LEAD) Labor group sticks to large-scale rally plan despite authorities' ban

(ATTN: ADDS prime minister's comments in last 3 paras; FIXES numbers in 6th para)

SEOUL, July 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's largest labor group said Thursday it will push ahead with a large-scale rally in Seoul this weekend in disregard of a ban issued by police and the metropolitan government.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), a militant labor umbrella group with about 1 million members, said it will organize the National Workers Rally in Yeouido on Saturday as scheduled, despite objections raised by police and the Seoul city government due to fears over the spread of COVID-19.

The KCTU forecast that some 10,000 people are expected to attend the rally to press the government to take stronger measures to prevent fatal industrial disasters and raise the minimum wage.

"We'll not stop our fighting for the sake of suffering workers and people," said Yang Kyung-soo, head of the KCTU, in a news conference.

"We're well aware of people's concerns about a large-scale rally being held amid the spread of COVID-19," he said, vowing to strictly follow coronavirus protocols.

The Seoul metropolitan government planned to raise the cap on permissible outdoor rallies from the current nine to 49 people Thursday. It, however, decided to hold off on the plan for one week just hours before the new rules were set to take effect, amid a recent spike in new virus cases in the city.

Following the KCTU's announcement, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum requested the group refrain from holding a large rally, stressing that the country is now at a critical juncture in virus containment.

"If you hold a large rally that could spread the virus nationwide at a time when sticking to coronavirus protocols is important, you can spoil the nation's continued efforts to contain the virus in a single moment," Kim said during a Cabinet meeting held in the central city of Sejong.

He vowed to sternly respond to any illegal rallies to protect the majority of people from COVID-19.

ycm@yna.co.kr
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