▲ Members of the militant Korean Confederation of Trade Unions hold a rally in Seoul on Nov. 11, 2023, calling for the ouster of the Yoon Suk Yeol government. (Yonhap)

umbrella unions-rally

2 umbrella unions stage large-scale rallies in Seoul

SEOUL, Nov. 11 (Yonhap) -- Two major umbrella unions staged large-scale rallies in central Seoul on Saturday, urging the swift promulgation of a pro-labor bill, commonly known as the "yellow envelope bill."

An estimated combined 110,000 members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) simultaneously launched the rallies in two different parts of Seoul.

On Thursday, the opposition-controlled National Assembly passed revisions to the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act that aim to limit companies from making claims for damages against legitimate labor union disputes. However, there is a looming possibility of President Yoon Suk Yeol vetoing the contentious bill.

The KCTU, the largest umbrella labor union in the country, along with a network of civic groups, called for the resignation of President Yoon. Around 60,000 people attended.

Around 50,000 members of the FKTU, the other major umbrella union, held a separate rally near Yeouido Station in western Seoul.

Police deployed some 9,000 personnel for potential emergency situations.

Police have stated they will strictly control the noise level of the rally under the revised Assembly and Demonstration Act by stationing a vehicle with an LED scoreboard to display the decibel levels in real time.

There were no clashes at the scene.

The rallies caused severe traffic congestion in parts of central Seoul, resulting in an average traffic speed of 10 kilometers per hour as of 3:00 p.m.

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[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]