South Korean Rally To Oppose 'Dictatorship'

Thousands of protesters are set to take to the streets of Seoul early next month, as the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) issued a defiant message Sunday.



The National Police Agency recently announced that a planned rally at Seoul Plaza on Dec. 5 would be banned.



"Police are denying the constitutional rights to the freedom of protest rallies, and it's tantamount to the self-acknowledgement that the current government is a dictatorship," the KCTU said in a statement confirming that it will go ahead as scheduled.



Next month's protest would be a follow-up from a Nov. 14 rally involving over 100,000 civilians and more than 20,000 police officers.



Dozens were arrested on what turned into a chaotic evening in the South Korean capital highlighting multiple areas of discontent -- from labor conditions to the government's plan to impose state-published history textbooks from 2017.



The police's use of water cannons at close range came under heavy media scrutiny, particularly after a 69-year-old man underwent brain surgery after being knocked off his feet.



But 113 officers were also injured in clashes with armed protesters, who were later compared to terrorists by President Park Geun-hye.



A further contentious development saw the head of the KCTU find refuge from the police at a major Buddhist temple -- South Korean religious facilities have also in the past served as sanctuaries for activists seeking to avoid arrest.



The South has emerged from an authoritarian post-war period to embrace democracy, but the country remains fiercely divided along political lines.



The current president is the daughter of late former leader Park Chung-hee, who was able to retain power from 1962 to 1979. - Ankara