Raid on S. Korean unions is an attack on the labour movement and on democracy, says UNI  

The brazen 18 January raids of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and the Korean Health and Medical Workers’ Union’s (KHMU) offices by intelligence officers is a shameful attack on the country’s labour movement and affront to basic democratic principles. UNI Global Union condemns these raids, and we reiterate our support for and solidarity with the Korean labour movement.

Unions are a pillar of democracy, and South Korea’s trade union movement has been a consistent driver of economic justice in the country. The National Intelligence Service’s disproportionate use of force during this raid can only be seen as an attempt to suppress and intimidate the labour movement.

The KHMU has pledged to fight this attempt to silence its voice. They are not alone. UNI and our affiliates around the world will be with them and the KCTU as they push back against this assault on working people.

The KHMU’s statement is translated below:

We strongly condemn the public security suppression of the labour movement. We will fight strongly against this suppression of the labour movement. The National Intelligence Service, on the morning of the 18th, raided and searched our office.

○ Strongly condemn the public security suppression of the labour movement.

○ The National Intelligence Service and the police seized and searched the health and medical union office from around 9 am this morning. The National Intelligence Service mobilized as many as 18 police buses and mobilized dozens of police officers to raid the office, and conducted a search and seizure for over three hours from 9 am to 12:30 pm.

○ Even though the Health and Medical Union expressed its intention to cooperate with the search and seizure, in the presence of a lawyer, the raid created a sense of intimidation by mobilizing dozens of agents and police.

○ You cannot cover the sky with your palms. We will never give in to the government’s targeted public security drive. We strongly condemn the suppression of the labor movement by the public security and will actively fight.

23. 1. 18.

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