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| Yang Kyung-soo, head of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) / Yonhap |
A local court has issued an arrest warrant for the leader of an umbrella union group on charges of violating a ban on holding mass rallies imposed due to the spread of a COVID-19, according to legal sources, Saturday.
The Seoul Central District Court approved the issuance of the warrant to arrest Yang Kyung-soo, chief of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), Friday, over 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 Aug. 6, citing the seriousness of the crime during a pandemic and the risk of him repeating it.
Prosecutors then filed the request with the court.
The court issued the warrant after reading the results of a written investigation, as Yang refused to attend a hearing scheduled for earlier this week.
Yang also rejected three police summonses for questioning before he showing up at Jongno Police Station, Aug. 4, where he was questioned for over five hours.
Yang faces charges of violating the Assembly and Demonstration Act and the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, as well as traffic disruption. (Yonhap)
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