Police on Monday handed over to the prosecution the leader of an umbrella union group who was arrested last Thursday on charges of holding unauthorized mass rallies amid the COVID-19 pandemic.  

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency handed over Yang Kyung-soo, chief of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions(KCTU), to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office.

As he stepped out of the Jongno District’s police station, Yang raised up his arms and showed his cuffed hands to a group of some 40 union members who had gathered to protest his detainment. In a written message announced on Monday, Yang urged KCTU members to move forward with a plan to stage a general strike slated for next month. 

Yang is accused of organizing massive rallies in central Seoul between May and July in violation of laws on demonstrations and infectious disease control.