Court Denies Bail for SPC Chairman Accused of Forcing Union Withdrawal

Heo Young-in, chairman of SPC Group (74), who was arrested and indicted on charges of coercing Paris Baguette bakers to withdraw from the labor union, requested bail from the court to be tried without detention, but the request was denied.

Chairman Heo Young-in of SPC Group. [Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the legal community on the 24th, the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 32 (Chief Judge Cho Seung-woo) dismissed Chairman Heo's bail request on charges of violating the Labor Union Act.

The court stated, "There is sufficient reason to believe that the defendant may destroy evidence or has the intention to do so, and there is no other substantial reason to grant bail."

Chairman Heo is accused of coercing about 570 union members belonging to the Paris Baguette branch of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions' Korean Federation of Textile, Chemical, Food, and Pharmaceutical Workers' Unions at PB Partners, an SPC subsidiary, to withdraw from the union between February 2021 and July 2022, after the branch continued activities critical of management.

At the bail hearing held on the 9th, Chairman Heo appealed for bail, saying, "I cannot and have no intention to destroy evidence."

Meanwhile, Hwang Jae-bok, CEO of SPC, who is also on trial for the same charges, has also filed a bail request with the court.

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