SEOUL– A local court has issued an arrest warrant for the leader of a labor umbrella group on charges of holding several mass rallies in violation of a COVID-19 ban, legal sources said Saturday.
The Seoul Central District Court on Friday issued the warrant to arrest Yang Kyung-soo, chief of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), over the rallies held in downtown Seoul between May and July, the sources said.
The latest demonstration, which took place July 3, drew more than 8,000 participants, according to the KCTU, increasing fears about the spread of COVID-19.
Police booked 23 people in connection with that rally, including Yang, and sought an arrest warrant for him on Aug. 6, citing the seriousness of the crime during a pandemic and the risk of a repeat crime.
Prosecutors then filed the request with the court.
The court issued the warrant after a written investigation because Yang refused to attend a hearing that was scheduled for earlier this week.
Yang also rejected three police summonses before he decided to show up at Jongno Police Station on Aug. 4, where he was questioned for over 5 hours.
Yang faces charges of violating the Assembly and Demonstration Act and the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, as well as traffic disruption.
When Yang will be arrested is still unknown, as the labor leader is not in police custody and has refused to follow authorities’ orders.
Police will first need to determine his whereabouts, for which they may need a communications warrant, and if he is staying in another person’s home, request a separate warrant to enter the property.
The KCTU has said Yang will be staying at the KCTU headquarters to prepare for a general strike in October, but the office is in a building that belongs to a newspaper.
Even after meeting all the legal requirements to arrest Yang, police may still face physical resistance while trying to enter the building.
In 2013, police clashed with KCTU members as they tried to arrest a railway union leader, leaving a glass entrance to the building shattered.
In other instances, a former KCTU secretary-general went into hiding for over two years to avoid arrest, while in 2015, a former KCTU leader hid out at a Buddhist temple for 25 days.
Source: Yonhap News Agency