Gyeongnam Police Agency Cracks Down on 176 Illegal Activities at Construction Sites Over 104 Days

7 Arrested Including 86 for Extortion and 80 for Obstruction of Business

The Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency announced that through a special crackdown on organized illegal activities at construction sites conducted from December last year to March 21 of this year, a total of 78 cases were detected and 176 people were investigated, among whom 7 were arrested.

According to the provincial police agency on the 22nd, a special crackdown on organized illegal activities such as extortion and violence at construction sites has been ongoing from December 8 last year to June 25 this year.

▲ Forcing the hiring of affiliated union members and use of equipment ▲ Extortion of money and goods under the names of full-time fees, monthly fees, development funds, etc. ▲ Obstruction of work such as attendance and entry of construction equipment ▲ Violent acts such as assault, threats, and damage ▲ Illegal mass protests and demonstrations by bullying tactics are being cracked down on.

During the entire 200-day special crackdown period, the most frequently detected type in Gyeongnam over 104 days was extortion, with 86 people accounting for 48.9% of the total.

Following that, obstruction of work accounted for 45.5% with 80 people, and forcing the hiring of affiliated union members and use of equipment accounted for 4.0% with 7 people.

Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency.
Photo by Lee Seryeong

Over about three months, the police arrested three local construction union executives who threatened construction companies at construction sites in the Gyeongnam, Busan, and Ulsan areas to obstruct construction, forced the drafting of collective agreements, and extorted about 190 million won under the names of union full-time fees and welfare fees.

Two local construction union executives were also arrested for forcing the hiring of union members at eight apartment construction sites in Gyeongnam, collecting about 9.8 million won in welfare funds, and obstructing construction companies that refused hiring by withdrawing pump cars and holding rallies.

One local construction union executive was arrested for threatening construction companies refusing to sign wage and collective agreements (wage and collective agreement) at officetel construction sites in the Gyeongnam and Busan areas by saying, "Let's settle this. We will hold rallies every day," and forcibly extorting 32.6 million won from six construction companies.

One local construction union executive was also arrested for threatening construction companies at apartment and housing construction sites in the Gyeongnam and Busan areas by saying, "Pay the wage and collective agreement fees," and collecting 120 million won from construction companies at nine sites.

A police official said, "We will strengthen crackdowns until illegal acts such as extortion and violence at construction sites completely disappear, and focus investigative capabilities on uncovering whether there are organized instructions and collusion through account tracking, etc.," adding, "We will actively protect crime victims so they can report safely and will thoroughly pursue and strictly punish retaliatory crimes."

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