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Police barricade headquarters of the Korean Confederation of Trade Union (KCTU) in Seoul, Saturday. / Yonhap |
Police searched 12 offices including the headquarters of the Korean Confederation of Trade Union (KCTU) that organized the rally and seized computers and leaflets.
It is the first time in almost two years since police deployed forces _ about 500 police officers _ at the KCTU in December 2013 when it moved to arrest the leaders of the railroad unions.
Police are investigating whether some of the groups helped Han Sang-gyun, 53, head of the Korean Confederation of Trade Union (KCTU), who is taking shelter at Jogye Temple in Seoul, to flee.
He has taken shelter at Jogye Temple to evade execution of a previously issued arrest warrant. That warrant was for organizing earlier illegal rallies.
Along with Myeongdong Cathedral, the temple has long been a safe haven for social activists on the run as police are reluctant to exercise their authority on religious domains.
On Nov. 14, members of the nation's 53 labor and farmers unions and civic groups staged a 12-hour rally to protest the government's move to introduce state-authored history textbooks and labor reform, among other issues.