Union Officials of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions Demand Hiring of Union Members and Disrupt Construction... Prison Sentences Confirmed

Accused of Forcing Union Member Recruitment
Original Sentence Suspended Prison Term... Supreme Court Finalized

Executives of the Construction Union branch of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), who obstructed construction by occupying a tower crane while demanding the hiring of union members, have been sentenced to prison terms.

The Supreme Court's 2nd Division (Presiding Justice Oh Kyung-mi) on the 23rd upheld the original sentence of 1 year and 6 months imprisonment each for Moon and Yoo, who were indicted for violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (joint coercion) and other charges. The Supreme Court stated, "There is no error in the lower court's judgment regarding the legality of justifiable acts and the execution of duties."

Both individuals are executives of the KCTU Construction Union Gyeonggi Central-West Construction Branch. In October 2022, at an apartment construction site in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, they were indicted for threatening the construction company and obstructing work while demanding the hiring of KCTU union members. They demanded that 70% of the workers deployed to the construction be hired as KCTU union members. When the company refused, they threatened to report illegal employment of foreigners, visited the construction site to block construction equipment from entering, and even occupied a tower crane.

They are also accused of assaulting police officers who tried to stop them. The court sentenced them to 2 years imprisonment in the first trial and 1 year and 6 months in the second trial. The appellate court stated, "The act of demanding the hiring of union members cannot be considered a justifiable union activity, nor can the hiring of union members be seen as a result of negotiations between both parties."

Moon and others appealed, but the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal, affirming the second trial's ruling as appropriate. Two other branch executives who were indicted together received suspended prison sentences. On the same day, the Supreme Court also confirmed suspended prison sentences for two others, including the secretary-general of the KCTU Construction Union Gyeongin Regional Headquarters, who were indicted for similar crimes.

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