By Lee Kyung-min
A district court Tuesday rejected a second request filed by the prosecution for a warrant to detain an activist who staged rallies at McDonald’s outlets in Seoul.
Gu Gyo-hyeon, president of Arbeit Workers’ Union (AWU), a group that represents part-time workers, was briefly detained last month for organizing protests at more than ten outlets of the fast food chain, demanding improvements in working conditions for part-time workers.
Last month, a court rejected an initial request for a detention warrant on grounds that Mr. Gu did not pose a flight risk, nor had he caused any damage while on the property.
At the time, he was accused of trespassing, damaging property, and obstruction of business.
Seoul Central District Court on Tuesday dismissed the warrant request for lack of a compelling need to restrict Gu’s physical freedom.
“Since his last protest, he has not instigated a fight against police officers, nor did he stage violent rallies near McDonald’s stores,” the judge said. “He has kept his vow not to engage in violence at the fast food branches.”
A day earlier, AWU held a press conference in front of the district court denouncing the prosecution’s continuing pursuit of a detention warrant.
“The prosecution’s move is clearly a stretch. They are refusing to recognize the court’s decision,” they said in the statement.
“The complaint included facts distorted to put us in a negative light. I suspect that a degree of undue influence was at play,” Gu said.