Yoon Suk Yeol blasts 'illegal' rallies by labor unions

President Yoon Suk Yeol, second from right, speaks at a Cabinet meeting at the Yongsan presidential office in central Seoul on Tuesday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Yoon Suk Yeol lambasted a labor union's large-scale rally last week for disrupting public order and violating people's rights in a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Referring to a Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) rally which paralyzed traffic last week, Yoon said, "It will be difficult for the people to tolerate the behavior of the KCTU during rallies that infringe upon their freedom and basic rights and disrupt public order."

The Korean Construction Workers' Union (KCWU), under the umbrella of KCTU, staged an overnight protest of the government's labor policies and called for Yoon's resignation on May 16 and 17 in multiple locations in Seoul, which included a march to Samgakji, near the presidential office in Yongsan District, central Seoul.

The protesters also commemorated a construction union member from Gangwon who set himself on fire to protest the Yoon government's crackdown on labor unions on May 1 and died the next day.

The rallies resulted in massive traffic congestion in downtown Seoul, and dozens of noise complaints were filed with the police.

During the Cabinet meeting at the presidential office, Yoon slammed the previous government's handling of large-scale protests, saying the Moon Jae-in administration had failed at law enforcement to manage "illegal" rallies.

"As a result of the government virtually giving up on invoking law enforcement against illegal assemblies and illegal demonstrations, noise from loudspeakers and road occupancies are reaching a level where it is difficult for the public to endure the inconvenience," Yoon said.

While recognizing and respecting that the Constitution guarantees the freedom of assembly and demonstration, Yoon said, "Guaranteeing the freedom of assembly and demonstration does not mean that it justifies infringements on another person's freedom and basic rights or acts disturbing the public order."

He underscored that his government "will not ignore nor tolerate any illegal activity."

Yoon ordered police and related public officials to "strictly enforce the law against illegal acts," noting that the state will also "protect law enforcement officials who faithfully fulfill their duties."

During the meeting, Yoon also reviewed the results of his "diplomatic super week" where he attended the Group of 7 (G7) summit in Hiroshima over the weekend and held a series of bilateral summits including with the leaders of Canada, Germany and the European Union.

Yoon, who marked his first anniversary in office earlier this month, reflected on the diplomacy and national interests that Korea should carry out as a "globally pivotal and responsible contributor."

He said the "most urgent security issue currently is to block and deter North Korea's nuclear and missile threats," calling them "a provocation against free countries across the world that have been promoting peace while defending the value of freedom."

Referring to his trilateral meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the sidelines of the G7 summit on Sunday, Yoon said, "In the future, the three countries' security cooperation system for North Korea's nuclear and missile issues will be upgraded to the next level, and the trilateral cooperation agenda will naturally expand not only to security but to the future cutting-edge technology sector."

He stressed the integral relationship between security and the economy, especially noting Korea's high external dependence, noting that he attended the G7 summit with the "mindset of being a salesman of Korea."

"Without security, it is difficult to have an economy," said Yoon. "If our security is at stake, all our investments will be withdrawn."

He said his administration has "established a solid foundation for economic security cooperation between governments" in areas such as supply chain stabilization, securing critical minerals, and developing high-tech industries such as bio, batteries and semiconductors.

"Diversification is key to building a stable and resilient supply chain," he added.

Yoon, who held his first bilateral talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Hiroshima on Sunday, said, "The unified support and efforts of the free world to restore freedom and peace to Ukraine are also justifiable measures against acts of aggression in violation of international law."

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]