An undated file photo of a late-night demonstration in Seoul (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Sept. 21 (Korea Bizwire) –Police will push for a blanket ban on assemblies and demonstrations from midnight to 6 a.m. to minimize public inconvenience from large-scale illegal gatherings, the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) said Thursday.
The KNPA said it will push to stipulate the “midnight-to-6 a.m. gathering ban” in the Law on Assembly and Demonstration, prohibiting all kinds of rallies and protests during those hours.
At present, late-night assemblies and demonstrations are only vaguely banned. Article 10 of the law prohibits outdoor gatherings before sunrise or after sunset in principle, and an exception can be allowed only when the organizer hires order maintainers and reports the event in advance to police.
But the provision effectively lost effect after the Constitutional Court rendered a decision of limited unconstitutionality to it in March 2014.
The police agency said its push for the legal revision is meant to address the legislative vacuum and ensure public peace during late-night hours, adding the relevant revision bill has already been presented to the National Assembly by a ruling party lawmaker.
(Yonhap)
