[사설] Freedom of expression must abide by the 3/1 assembly quarantine guidelines recognized

Some of the 3·1 outdoor rallies that were banned under the corona quarantine guidelines were conditionally allowed by the court. On the 26th, the Seoul Administrative Court dismissed or rejected 7 cases and decided on the 26th to grant limited permission for 2 cases in nine cases of suspension of execution brought by conservative groups in response to the government and Seoul’s ban on assembly. Even if corona prevention is important, it is judged that the freedom of assembly should not be completely blocked.

The 5th administration of the Seoul Administrative Court decided to allow the application for suspension of execution on the condition of’no more than 30 people’, asking for “allow 100 people to hold an economic activity security meeting in the vicinity of Gwanghwamun” However, the judiciary added nine tricky conditions, such as having to bring the corona negative test result issued within 7 days.

The 8th administrative division of the Seoul Administrative Court also allowed the’restriction of the rule of law’ as a condition of’within 20 people’ for the’Rally to rectify the rule of law’, which was reported by the Free Korea Corps in front of Gwanghwamun from March 1st. It is true that the conditions for allowing the assembly are very strict, but it is noteworthy that it reflects the intention that “freedom of expression should not be completely blocked.”

The court allowed two urban rallies of 1,000 to 2,000 people on Liberation Day last year, but there is a precedent that as the number of participants increased significantly, people infected with Corona 19 appeared one after another. After that, the court rejected all applications for suspension of the assembly on Gaecheon Day and Hangeul Day, and allowed only vehicle demonstrations with less than 10 participants.

Since November of last year, the Seoul Metropolitan Government has also banned assemblies of more than 10 people, and recently set Gwanghwamun, Cheonggye, and Seoul Plaza as restricted areas. Although outdoor gatherings have a relatively low risk of spreading Corona 19 compared to indoor gatherings, it is excessive to completely block the gatherings due to vague worries. This is the reason the court has relaxed the standards for allowing assembly.

On the other hand, the 13th administrative department of the Seoul Administrative Court rejected the request for suspension of execution filed by the Free Korea Corps and others, saying, “It is unfair to prohibit groups of 5 or more people.”

In addition, the 2nd and 12th divisions of the Seoul Administrative Court repeatedly rejected the assembly of more than 100 people reported by other organizations. In order for our socio-economic and educational activities, including the self-employed business, to return to normal as soon as possible, all citizens must strictly follow the quarantine guidelines.
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