(LEAD) Some conservative groups call off Oct. 3 rallies amid virus scare

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By Lee Minji

SEOUL, Sept. 24 (Yonhap) -- Leaders of some conservative groups that planned to stage mass anti-government rallies in central Seoul next month called off the plan Thursday, urging other conservative groups to follow suit.

The group leaders, including former Gyeonggi Province Gov. Kim Moon-soo, said they will not be holding the rallies that were scheduled to take place in Gwanghwamun on Oct. 3.

While asking other right-wing organizations to follow their decision, they said they will hold other forms of events to "express their anger" against the government, such as a car parade.

An organization that Kim leads has submitted a report to the police on holding a car parade that starts at Yeouido in western Seoul and passes through Gwanghwamun en route to Seocho Police Station in southern Seoul. The group said 200 cars will take part in the event scheduled for 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Oct. 3, which is a national holiday here.

Kim said the car parade will be held within "legal boundaries," saying the cars will move in groups of nine. The organization will file an administrative suit against the police if they officially ban the session, he added.

The South Korean government has vowed a stern response against the mass rallies after an earlier round of rallies on Aug. 15 was blamed for a resurgence in new coronavirus cases here.

Earlier this week, President Moon Jae-in said the government will have zero tolerance against all acts hampering the antivirus fight, calling such protests and fake news "anti-social crimes."

On Thursday, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun also stressed that the government will not permit any modified forms of mass rallies after some main opposition party members suggested holding "drive-thru" rallies instead of mass outdoor protests.

The Seoul city government has extended its ban on rallies of 10 or more people by nearly a month to Oct. 11, while some bus companies that offer rides for people going to rallies said they will not run buses for rally participants.

Thousands of people, including elderly participants who are more vulnerable to the infectious virus, took to the streets of Gwanghwamun in anti-government rallies organized by conservative groups.

The country's daily infections spiked to three-digit figures after the mid-August rallies, with 623 cases identified in relation to them as of Wednesday, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

Among the cases are police officers who were dispatched to manage the rally site, as well as hundreds who were infected through chain transmissions.

Despite Thursday's press conference and the government's continued request to call off rallies, a key organization that led the Aug. 15 rallies said it will push ahead with the Oct. 3 rallies.

mlee@yna.co.kr
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