Small Business Federation Union Files Criminal Complaint Against Chairman Bae Dong-wook

Jang Gi-su, Chairman of the Small Business Federation Labor Union (right in the photo), is submitting a complaint against Chairman Bae Dong-wook to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on the 21st. Photo by the Secretariat Labor Union of the Small Business Federation



The Secretariat Labor Union of the Small Business Federation (hereinafter referred to as the Small Business Federation) filed a complaint with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on the 21st against Chairman Bae Dong-wook on charges of embezzlement, breach of trust, violation of the Subsidy Management Act, and violations of the Labor Standards Act and the Labor Union Act.

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Hyewon] The Labor Union of the Secretariat of the Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise Associations (hereinafter referred to as KFMEA) announced on the 21st that it has filed a complaint with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office against Chairman Bae Dong-wook on charges of embezzlement, breach of trust, violation of the Subsidy Management Act, and violations of the Labor Standards Act and the Labor Union Act.

In a statement released that day, the union said, "On the 14th, Chairman Bae held a press conference to apologize for the recent workshop controversy, lining up innocent organization heads and giving explanations that did not seem like explanations. We cannot help but feel shock and despair at Chairman Bae's hypocrisy in this situation where the fate of KFMEA hangs by a thread, and now, having no other options, we have decided to file a complaint against Chairman Bae."

The union claimed, "Regarding the suspicion that Chairman Bae transferred sponsorship funds received when purchasing books by the invited workshop lecturer to a close committee chairman, he denied knowing about it. However, he purchased books with government subsidies and then sold them to collect sponsorship funds. At this time, he embezzled 1 million won by privately depositing it to an associate, committing criminal offenses of embezzlement in the course of duty and violation of the Subsidy Management Act."

The union also stated, "At an event clearly funded by government subsidies, not only did Chairman Bae's wife attend, but he also brought his daughter and charged the family's accommodation expenses to government subsidies. Regarding this, Chairman Bae said at the press conference that 'membership fees were collected,' but this was collected after the controversy. Embezzlement and breach of trust are clearly violations of criminal law at the time of the act, regardless of whether the money is replenished afterward, so they fall within the realm of criminal offenses."

Furthermore, the union pointed out, "Ordering KFMEA employees during working hours, when the workshop was in full swing, to take the families of the chairman and executives on a tour of Gyeongpo Beach in Gangneung constitutes 'workplace power harassment' and is a violation of the Labor Standards Act." They also added, "Since the union's press conference on the 10th demanding the chairman's resignation, employees have been persistently questioned about their union membership status, creating an atmosphere of fear in the office."

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