'Employment Corruption' Busan Bus Union Branch Chief Sentenced to Prison with Probation

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The head of a union branch at a city bus company in Busan and company executives, who were prosecuted for accepting money in exchange for recommending bus drivers for employment, were sentenced to suspended prison terms.

According to the legal community on the 29th, the Busan District Court Criminal Division 5 (Chief Judge Kwon Ki-cheol) sentenced A (61), the head of a transportation branch of the Busan Bus Union under the National Automobile Workers' Union, who was indicted for breach of trust and violation of the Labor Standards Act, to one year in prison with a two-year suspension. The court also ordered the confiscation of 20.9 million won in criminal proceeds.

The court also sentenced B, a bus driver and accomplice of A, to 10 months in prison with a two-year suspension, and bus company executive C and general affairs staff member D, who accepted money and tacitly allowed illegal hiring, to eight months and six months in prison respectively, with suspended sentences.

The court stated, "A was in a position to faithfully perform duties to improve the welfare of union members but intervened in employment through illicit solicitations. However, consideration was given to the partial return of money and remorse shown."

A, who became the head of a union branch at a Busan city bus company in 2015, was indicted for receiving between 2 million and 6 million won from his friend B, who introduced three people wanting to become bus drivers.

Investigations revealed that a total of 18 applicants had requested hiring favors by 2016, involving A, B, and two company employees. Among them, 15 were actually hired, and the total amount of hiring solicitation money shared by the four was approximately 57 million won.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.