South Korea's major labor group lambasted a police investigation into its rally of some eight-thousand members held in Seoul over the weekend, despite a ban to prevent the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases from further escalating.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions(KCTU), the nation's second-largest labor alliance, on Monday accused the government of stripping its right to rally, asking why only labor protest are being banned, while the government eases quarantine for sports and cultural events.

It criticized the government for neglecting unions' calls to scrap nonpermanent employment and for an increase in minimum wage.

The group reaffirmed plans to stage a general strike in November calling for an end to economic inequality and disparity that have become all the more prevalent since the outbreak of the pandemic.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on Sunday had launched a 52-member probe on rally organizers for violating gathering bans and infectious disease protocols, as well as disrupting traffic.

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum and Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency(KDCA) Commissioner Jeong Eun-kyeong on Friday had failed to persuade union leaders to call off the Saturday rally. 

The Seoul Metropolitan Government, which prohibits large-scale rallies under current social distancing protocols, filed a complaint against rally organizers and participants.