Prosecutors Indict and Detain Malicious Employer with 19 Prior Offenses for Wage Theft and Disappearance from Young Workers

A malicious employer who repeatedly failed to pay wages to young workers in their twenties and then went into hiding has been indicted and brought to trial in detention, following a persistent investigation by prosecutors.

It is expected that the Special Prosecution Team for the Sedition Case will emphasize the legitimacy of the detention during Yoon Suk-yeol, former president's detention review, mainly through special prosecutors and prosecutors who participated in the detention warrant hearing. The photo shows the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul, where the Sedition Special Prosecution Office was established on July 18, 2025. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

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The Criminal Division 4 of the Uijeongbu District Prosecutors’ Office (Chief Prosecutor Park Youngsik) announced on the 15th that the employer, Mr. A, has been indicted and detained on charges of violating the Labor Standards Act.

According to the prosecution, Mr. A is accused of defaulting on wages owed to young employees in their late twenties who were just starting their careers, and then cutting off contact and disappearing. The investigation found that Mr. A had a record of committing the same crime 19 times before.

Mr. A evaded the investigation by ignoring calls from labor inspectors at the Ministry of Employment and Labor and frequently changing his residence, remaining on the run for a long period. After taking over the case, the prosecution obtained an arrest warrant for Mr. A during a supplementary investigation and used a variety of investigative techniques, including tracking mobile base station locations, to apprehend him directly.

This case involved an unusually strict arrest investigation, even though the amount of unpaid wages was around 10 million won. The prosecutor in charge attended the pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant review) in person, emphasizing that the victims were young workers in their twenties just entering society, and strongly argued the tangible harm suffered by the victims and the necessity of detention. As a result, the court issued an arrest warrant for Mr. A.

Even after indictment, the prosecution continued to support the victims by providing legal counseling procedures and additional measures to help restore their rights.

An official from the Uijeongbu District Prosecutors’ Office stated, “We will do our utmost to maintain the prosecution so that the defendant receives a punishment commensurate with the crime. We will continue to do our best to strictly crack down on wage theft crimes that threaten workers’ livelihoods.”

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