Police warn of traffic jams as trade unions hold Labor Day rallies in Seoul

Social Affairs

Published: 01 May. 2024, 14:31 Updated: 01 May. 2024, 17:34

Police warn of traffic jams as trade unions hold Labor Day rallies in Seoul

Tens of thousands of labor union members stage a Labor Day rally on Sejong-daero, central Seoul, where governmental agencies and labor authorities are located, demanding improved workers’ rights and labor policies on Wednesday. The protest organizer, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, said over 25,000 people participated in the Labor Day rally. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Korean trade unions will stage Labor Day protests and rallies across Seoul on Wednesday.

One of the country’s largest umbrella unions, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), will hold an assembly with around 25,000 members to commemorate Labor Day at 2 p.m. near Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno District, central Seoul,

Some 15,000 union members are expected to march from Jongno District to the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office in Jung District, central Seoul.

Labor unions under the KCTU are set to join the assembly after holding separate rallies.

A construction union will hold its own rally in front of the headquarters of the National Policy Agency in Seodaemun District, western Seoul. The union representing sales workers at department stores and duty-free shops will gather and stage a protest in front of the city’s labor office in Jung District. The transportation labor union will hold its protest in front of Seoul City Hall in Jung District.

Korean Confederation of Trade Union's Gwangju branch members join a Labor Day rally in front of Gwangju City Hall on Wednesday. [NEWS1]

Another prominent labor union, Federation of Korean Trade Unions, will hold its protest in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, at 2 p.m.

The disability advocacy group Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination (SADD) also staged a protest on a subway platform at Gwanghwamun Station at 8 a.m. The SADD was set to hold a mass rally at City Hall Station, calling the city to revoke its plan to dismiss 400 jobs for disabled people.

The police will dispatch some 10,000 patrol officers and plan to respond sternly to illegal protests or behavior.

As protesters could block the road or hinder traffic inside the capital, the police authorities advised Seoulites to use public transportation such as the subway.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]