SEOUL - A local court yesterday ruled that a ban on outdoor rallies within l00 meters from foreign embassies is legitimate.
The Seoul Administrative Court made the ruling against a group of laid-off workers of the Samsung Group who claimed that the ban infringes on the freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution.
In May, the group filed a complaint with the court against the Namdaemum Police Station for preventing the workers from holding a rally against "illegal" layoffs in front of the Samsung Group headquarters near the Namdaemun (South) Gate in central Seoul in April.
The police station outlawed the protest rally, saying that outdoor rallies and demonstrations within l00 meters from foreign diplomatic missions are illegal, in accordance with the current law.
The Singapore Embassy is located at the headquarters of Samsung Life Insurance. Thus, the workers’ plan to hold street rallies from the Press Center building to the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) building was aborted.
"The ban is legitimate because it is intended to protect foreign diplomatic missions in Korea," the court stated in the ruling.
The court added that the ban is to balance the basic rights of people and the protection of foreign diplomatic facilities.
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) expressed its dissatisfaction over the court decision, saying that many family-owned business conglomerates are taking advantage of the ban to avoid possible rallies and demonstrations near their buildings.
Sohn Nark-koo, public relations director of the KCTU, said that his labor federation was considering filing a complaint with the Constitutional Court over the constitutionality of the ban.
He slammed that business groups have been trying to house foriegn embassies in their buildings to prevent unionists and other protesters from gathering and demonstrating near their headquarters in central Seoul.
Sohn said that the law banning the assembly and demonstrations near foreign missions was a sheer violation of freedom of expression, adding that there is no other country in the world that has enforced such bans.
He complained that labor unions, civic groups, students and citizens were losing many rallying points in Kwanghwamun, Myongdong and other downtown areas due to the draconian law.