Four Union Officials from Seoul Metropolitan Area Construction Sites Arrested and Indicted for Extortion of Money and Goods

Four members of the leadership of three construction labor unions were arrested and indicted on charges of extorting money while posing as labor union activists and visiting construction sites across the Seoul metropolitan area.

Seoul Seocho-gu Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. / Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

On the 12th, the Public Investigation Division 3 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Lee Jun-beom) announced that four individuals, including Mr. A, who are accused of joint extortion, were arrested and indicted. Ten other construction union officials were indicted without detention. The prosecution is also investigating 52 related individuals.

Mr. A, who was the head of the Seonam branch of the Gyeonggi Northern Construction Branch of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) Construction Union from February 2020 to early this year, was prosecuted on charges of extorting 82.92 million KRW in wages and welfare expenses for workers exempted from working hours at 10 construction sites in Seoul, and 48.92 million KRW in development funds in lieu of recruitment at five sites. Due to his threats, the prosecution believes that five construction sites in Seoul and four companies employed 321 union members.

Two others, including the chairman of the Korean Federation of Construction Workers' Unions and the head of the Seogyeongin headquarters, were investigated for holding assembly reports in front of 22 construction sites in the metropolitan area from February 2021 to last January and threatening site managers to receive a total of 132.24 million KRW under the pretext of wages and welfare expenses for workers exempted from working hours.

Mr. B was arrested and indicted on charges of extorting 73.37 million KRW in wages and welfare expenses for workers exempted from working hours at 12 construction sites in the metropolitan area while impersonating the chairman of a phantom union called the "National Construction Union Federation" from October 2020 to August last year.

According to the "Actual Damage Cases of Illegal Activities at Construction Sites" announced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in January, 290 companies nationwide reported damages worth approximately 168.6 billion KRW at 1,494 sites. In particular, the metropolitan area accounted for the highest proportion with 681 sites (45.6%) nationwide.

A prosecution official stated, "Illegal activities such as forcing the employment of specific union members and extorting union full-time fees at construction sites ultimately lead to construction delays, poor construction quality, and increased construction costs," adding, "Since the damage inevitably spreads throughout society, swift and strict responses are necessary."

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