Democratic Labor Union Executive Entered Building During Rally... Fined

Defendant's Side Claims "Legitimate Dispute Action and Illegality Excuse"
Court States "Cannot Be Evaluated as Legitimate Act"

Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions' National Courier Workers' Union are staging a sit-in protest at the CJ Logistics headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 11th. The courier union, which has been on strike since December 28 last year, launched a surprise sit-in on the 10th, urging the company to engage in dialogue to resolve the situation. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Gyumin] A Democratic Labor Union official accused of leaving the reported protest site with union members and entering a building was sentenced to a fine in the first trial.

The Seoul Western District Court Criminal Division 10 (Judge Yoon Yangji) announced on the 1st that it sentenced Mr. A (38), accused of violating the Act on the Punishment of Violent Acts, etc. (joint trespassing), to a fine of 3 million won.

Mr. A, an official belonging to the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers' Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, was indicted for leaving the protest site on the sidewalk in front of the main and back gates while holding protests against Company B, located in LS Yongsan Tower in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on November 17 and 18, 2020, and entering the building with about 20 union members, occupying the sidewalk next to the ground parking lot for about 15 to 20 minutes.

At the court, the defendant and his lawyer argued, "The defendant's actions constitute a legitimate labor dispute act, thus negating illegality."

However, the court did not accept their claim, stating, "The trespassing acts on each building in this case cannot be considered legitimate acts under Article 20 of the Criminal Act."

The court made this judgment mainly after examining the content of the protests against Company B and the relationship with Company C, the building manager and a party to the lawsuit.

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