A warrant was issued in November for the arrest of Han Sang-kyun, the leader of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), for organising marches and rallies to call for justice for the victims of the ferry disaster and to protest against proposed labour reforms.
The police tried to arrest him as he addressed a meeting shortly before the 14 November rally, but union members blocked their way and Han Sang-kyun got away. Nine people were taken into custody for helping prevent the arrest, 126 faced charges of aiding the KCTU leaders escape or taking part in the “illegal” protests, and a further 450 people were warned they faced police questioning over the same issues.
Two days after the 14 November rally, Han Sang-kyun took refuge in the Jogye Buddhist temple, explaining that he owed it to the country’s workers to resolve the issue of the pending labour reforms first. He finally left the temple on 10 December after the police launched an operation to remove him, clashing with temple officials. Han-Sang-kyun decided he did not want the people at the temple to suffer any further disruption. He called for a further protest against the government’s reforms to be held on 16 December, and said he would expose the authorities’ fierce repression of labour.
Han was held at the Namdaemun Police station in Seoul, awaiting trial. When Noriuki Suzuki of the ITUC-Asia Pacific asked for a meeting with him, the police turned down his request, citing concerns he might “destroy evidence”.
In addition to charges of organising “illegal” rallies, the police asked for the KCTU leader to be charged with sedition, the first time in 29 years that such a charge had been brought.