A Seoul court on Friday ruled in favor of a civic group seeking to reverse a police decision to partially ban its plan to march toward the presidential office in protest against Japan's release of treated radioactive water.
A civic group, called Collective Action Against Japan's Release of Contaminated Radioactive Water had filed a notification of its plan to stage protest marches toward the presidential office in Yongsan in central Seoul on Saturday and the two following Saturdays.
The police, however, partially forbade the march plans on the grounds that they could create traffic jams and come into conflict with other organizations' rallies filed in advance.
The civic group has since filed a case to reverse the decision.
The Seoul Administrative Court ruled to permit the group to march to a 1.4-kilometer distance from the presidential office, which encompasses Samgakji Station, saying the police ban constitutes an "excessive restriction on the freedom of assembly."
But the court ruled the number of participants in the marches should not exceed 1,000, far fewer than the 8,000 the group had planned. The marches should also be limited to two car lanes and the bus lane should remain undisturbed, the court ruled.
On Aug. 24, Japan began discharging the radioactive water, which has been stored at the nuclear power plant since three nuclear reactors melted down in the wake of a powerful earthquake in March 2011, into the ocean. (Yonhap)
