"Unpaid Construction Fees Exceed 3 Billion Won... Petition to Cheong Requests Justice for Father of Three Siblings Who Took His Own Life"

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] A man in his 50s, who was struggling with financial difficulties due to unpaid construction fees, ultimately attempted self-immolation and died. On the Blue House National Petition Board, a petition titled "Please resolve the injustice of a father of three children" was posted, appealing for help.

On the 10th, a post titled "Appeal for injustice regarding the self-immolation suicide of a father of three due to unpaid construction fees by a construction company" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board.

The petitioner stated, "I have no place to complain about what happened at a row house construction site located in Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeollabuk-do, so I dare to knock on the newspaper bell," and informed, "The site is a 64-unit row house construction site that started in 2017 and was completed in April 2020."

He claimed, "The amount of unpaid construction fees for the first payment is about 3 billion KRW, and the unpaid construction fees for the second payment also amount to 3.3 billion KRW," adding, "We trusted the developer and contractor's promise and recorded audio that they would pay the overdue construction fees first once the completion inspection was done, and waited for several months, but after finishing the construction, they have not paid a single won for nearly a year."

He continued, "We made several demands, conveyed the difficulties of small businesses, and pleaded earnestly, but the representatives of the developer and contractor consistently responded with a 'go to hell' attitude and even resorted to violent behavior with weapons," and lamented, "We tried to appeal to the law, but faced difficulties such as considerable legal fees and disagreements among the victims."

The petitioner expressed, "Exhausted by economic hardship, a head of a household and father of three children, a waste disposal business owner, committed self-immolation in his office," and vented, "How many small business owners and workers across the country are in similar situations? Is there truly no way to break this vicious cycle?"

He also expressed frustration, saying, "What use are the members of the National Assembly, the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and the prosecution and police? When truly facing difficulties, where is my side?"

As of 5:40 PM on the 11th, the petition has received a total of 934 endorsements.

On the 10th, a petition was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board titled "A man in his 50s passed away due to unpaid construction fees by a contractor," expressing a grievance. [Image source = Blue House National Petition Board capture]

Earlier, waste disposal business owner A (51) poured a flammable substance on himself and set himself on fire around 9 a.m. on the 28th of last month in a container office in Deokjin-gu, Jeonju-si. He was transferred to a hospital for treatment but ultimately died on the 1st, four days later.

Before setting himself on fire, A was reported to have hinted at his extreme choice during a phone call with an acquaintance, saying, "I have already written my will and cannot live any longer. I think only by doing this will the world recognize the injustice."

Local small and medium-sized companies that participated in the construction with A have formed an emergency countermeasure committee and are discussing legal procedures such as lawsuits and complaints against the construction company involved.