Police conducted a raid today (Oct. 1) on a unification civic group with an office in Dongdaemun-gu on charges of violating the National Security Act.

The National Security Investigation Bureau of the Korean National Police Agency dispatched investigators to the office of the civic group "Tongillo" in Hoegi-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, to secure documents and other materials.

Police reportedly applied charges of forming an anti-government organization to members of the group.

Under the National Security Act, an anti-government organization refers to a group that praises, incites, propagates, or sympathizes with the activities of anti-government groups or their members.

Some members of the group, which was launched in 2019 with the goal of pursuing unification, were previously raided on the same charges in 2023.

The National Action for the Abolition of the National Security Act, which has long called for the abolition of the law, immediately issued a statement and pushed back, saying, "The police are dragging out a case again that they have failed to indict for three years since the previous search and are talking about 'forming an anti-government organization.'"

The coalition announced that it will hold a joint condemnation press conference with the raided Tongillo group at 11:00 a.m. the following day in front of the National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu.

(Photo: Yonhap News)