Police raid construction union over alleged illegal street rally in May

SEOUL, June 9 (Yonhap) -- Police raided a major construction labor union under the militant umbrella Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) on Friday, stepping up investigations into an allegedly illegal overnight street rally organized by KCTU in downtown Seoul last month.

The Seoul Namdaemun Police Station sent investigators to search the main office of the Korean Construction Workers' Union (KCWU) in the southwestern ward of Yeongdeungpo early in the morning and seized electric devices and documents related to the May 16-17 rally.

Police have booked 29 KCTU officials, including Jang Ok-ki, head of the KCWU, on charges of violating the Assembly and Demonstration Act during the two-day rally.

An estimated 25,000 union members staged a late-night street march toward the presidential office and then camped overnight in central Seoul during the rally to protest the Yoon Suk Yeol government's labor polices, causing a string of complaints over traffic congestion, noise and other inconveniences.

Police have already sent four summonses to Jang and another KCWU official, but they have refused to comply, citing preparations for a funeral for a fellow labor union official who died by self-immolation on May 1.

Three KCTU officials were already questioned by police last week.

sookim@yna.co.kr
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