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| President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Seoul, May 23. Yonhap |
President Yoon Suk Yeol slammed a major labor group Tuesday for its overnight street rally last week, saying its actions infringed on people's freedoms, disturbed the public order and will not be tolerated by the people.
Yoon made the remark during a Cabinet meeting, referring to a rally staged by the Korean Construction Workers' Union in protest of the government's labor policies from Tuesday to Wednesday.
An estimated 25,000 union members took part in the rally in downtown Seoul, causing massive traffic congestion and leading to some 80 noise complaints being filed with the police.
The union falls under the umbrella Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU).
"Our Constitution guarantees the freedom of assembly and demonstration, and as president, I, too, have respected this," Yoon said.
"However, guaranteeing the freedom of assembly and demonstration does not mean infringements on another person's freedoms and basic rights, or acts disturbing the public order, are justified."
Yoon said the previous administration effectively abandoned its law enforcement duties with regard to illegal rallies and demonstrations, leading to intolerable levels of inconvenience for the people.
"It will be difficult for the people to tolerate the actions of the KCTU during the rally that infringed on people's freedoms and basic rights, and disturbed the public order," he said. "Our government will not neglect or tolerate any form of illegal action." (Yonhap)
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