'Leading Violent Rally' Former Metalworkers' Union Executives Sentenced to 2 Years in First Trial

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] Former executives of the Korean Metal Workers' Union, affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), who were charged with leading illegal assemblies including assaulting police officers, were sentenced to prison in the first trial.

The Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 27 (Presiding Judge Kim Sun-il) sentenced Park Geun-tae, former head of the Hyundai Heavy Industries branch of the KCTU, and Jeong Yeon-su, former head of the organization department, to two years in prison each on the 19th on charges including special obstruction of official duties causing injury. Considering the possibility of disputing the charges in the appeal trial, they were not detained in court.

Among the 23 KCTU members indicted together, 23 were sentenced to one year and six months in prison with a three-year probation, and two were fined.

Park, the former branch head, and others are accused of leading illegal acts such as assaulting police officers and damaging facilities during a union rally of Hyundai Heavy Industries and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering held in front of the Hyundai Heavy Industries Seoul office in Gye-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, in May 2019.

At that time, union members held a rally opposing Hyundai Heavy Industries' physical division (corporate split) and the acquisition and merger (M&A) of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, and clashed with police who blocked their entry into the Hyundai headquarters. During this process, dozens of police officers suffered fractures and injuries in various parts of their bodies and received medical treatment.

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