The ruling People Power Party (PPP) has proposed legal reforms to prohibit late-night demonstrations, sparked by an overnight protest staged by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions’ (KCTU) construction workers union. The KCTU is one of the country’s two most prominent umbrella labor union groups. The proposal was made by PPP lawmaker Park Dae-chul, who stated, “We will pursue legislation to prohibit rallies and protests from 12 AM to 6 AM.”

Additionally, the party seeks to enhance existing regulations governing noise pollution at such gatherings and introduce a clause that would empower law enforcement to take action against “unsightly behavior” during protests, including public urination, drinking and sleeping out in public. A PPP spokesperson stated that nighttime rallies that cause inconvenience to residents are “not the ‘freedom of assembly,’ but rather an ‘abuse of assembly’ and ‘violence against citizens.’”