A major labor union has refused to meet with Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, who visited its office on Friday to urge the group to call off a planned Saturday rally in Seoul amid the uptick in virus cases.

Kim, who was accompanied by the head of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) Jeong Eun-kyeong, asked group representatives in front of the building for cooperation amid growing concerns over variant strains.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions(KCTU), for its part, criticized the government for attempting to put the blame on labor unions for its failed quarantine guidelines.

The group urged authorities to guarantee their freedom to stage rallies, asking why only labor rallies are being restricted or banned, while the government had eased quarantine guidelines for sports and cultural events.

Some ten-thousand union members are expected to gather in Yeouido on Saturday to call for measures to prevent serious industrial accidents and for an increase in minimum wage.

According to the prime minister's office, Kim later briefly spoke with the head of the union Yang Kyung-soo on the phone and asked him to reconsider holding the rally.