The National People's Action, a gathering of progressive groups such as labor, peasants, and poor groups, held the '2022 People's Rally Congress' at 2 pm today (15th) at the Yeouido Cultural Madang (Yeoido Park) in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul and insisted on eradicating inequality.



The National People's Action said, "We expected the Moon Jae-in administration to take over the candlelight government after clearing out the corruption at the Candlelight Square in 2016, but they also betrayed our expectations." · We will fight vigorously to advance the unification of equality and peace."



'Let's break inequality! Let's end the vested two-party system! With the slogan of 'Let's open up an equal society frequently!', the organizers estimated that about 15,000 people participated and it was held in a relatively calm atmosphere.



Yang Kyung-soo, chairman of the Confederation of Trade Unions, said in the congratulatory remarks, "The government is entirely responsible for standing in the square again after we lit the candlelight of Park Geun-hye's resignation. Only then can we say that it is a society that respects labor.”



Park Heung-sik, chairman of the National Farmers' Association, said, "The current government is pushing for neoliberal agricultural openness until the end of his term for farmers who have no place to retreat. If we declare it, we will face severe judgment from the peasants.”



Choi Young-chan, co-representative of the People's Solidarity for the Liberation of the Poor, said, "The core of the Daejang-dong incident was to fill the belly of the capital with the blood tears of the emigrants who were living there for the devil's development project, but there is not a single line of the story of the emigrants coming out anywhere." "Street vendors should also be recognized as a dignified profession and as an economic entity," he urged.



The demands of the National People's Action are: ▲ Transition to a system of equality through strengthening the public nature of housing, medical care, education, and care ▲ Abolition of irregular workers, application of the Labor Standards Act to all workers ▲ Opposition to CPTPP participation ▲ Enactment of anti-discrimination law, repeal of national security law ▲ ROK-U.S. military Permanent suspension of practice, etc.



Previously, the National People's Action Movement had attempted to hold a rally by renting a sports facility, but it was canceled due to the disapproval of the authorities, and a surprise meeting was held in Yeouido Park.



The protesters were scattered all over the city of Seoul, but when the location was announced around 12:30 p.m., they gathered in Yeouido Park.



To block the gathering itself, the police operated a temporary checkpoint in the city center and mobilized a total of 136 companies, but it did not prevent the assembly from being held.



At the assembly site, the police warned the organizers several times to stop the unreported illegal assembly and immediately disband in accordance with the Infectious Disease Prevention Act and the Assembly and Demonstration Act (Gypsy Act), but the participants continued the assembly.



There were no physical clashes between the police and the participants.



(Photo = Yonhap News)