hankyoreh

A joint memorial service for the victims of workplace accidents and disasters takes place on Saturday in front of the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office. (Lee Jeong-a/The Hankyoreh)

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions hosted a joint memorial service for the victims of workplace accidents and disasters on Saturday in front of the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office.

Police block people from joining the event as public gatherings of 10 or more people are prohibited by COVID-19 social distancing rules. (Lee Jeong-a/The Hankyoreh)

The memorial service commemorated those who died in workplace accidents and called on the South Korean government to implement policy measures to protect workers.

Park Mi-sook — the mother of Chang Deok-june, who died of overwork at a shipping center — asks the police to let people participate in the memorial. (Lee Jeong-a/The Hankyoreh)

There were scuffles between the event’s organizers and police as public gatherings of 10 or more people are prohibited by COVID-19 social distancing rules. Some union members were arrested.

A joint memorial service for the victims of workplace accidents and disasters takes place on Saturday in front of the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office. (Lee Jeong-a/The Hankyoreh)

A joint memorial service for the victims of workplace accidents and disasters takes place on Saturday in front of the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office. (Lee Jeong-a/The Hankyoreh)

A joint memorial service for the victims of workplace accidents and disasters takes place on Saturday in front of the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office. (Lee Jeong-a/The Hankyoreh)

By Lee Jeong-a, staff photographer

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