The statement said:

The arrest of KCTU Chairman Han Sang Gyun provided an occasion of revealing once again the fascist cruelty of the present "regime".

The authorities arrested the chairman on charges that he spearheaded the rally demanding the probe into the truth behind the ferry Sewol disaster and the workers' struggle in April and May and the all-out people's action in November, the statement noted, adding: All the actions were just resistance against the tyranny of the present "regime" and its suppression of vital rights. He is not a criminal.

Struggle is the only way for protecting the life of the people and democracy, the statement declared, calling on the people of various circles to turn out in the struggle to check the retrogressive revision of the labor law and force the present "regime" to step down by successfully staging the general strike and another all-out people's action on Dec. 19.