"Minnochoong Union Members Only Use Machines!" ... Apartment Construction Coercion and Obstruction, Union Officials Under Non-Detention Investigation

Busan Police Agency.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Union officials who forced construction companies to use only construction machinery operated by members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) are under police investigation.

The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency's Violent Crime Investigation Unit announced on the 9th that they have apprehended two senior KCTU officials in their 50s, Mr. A (male) and Mr. B (male), on charges of demanding that site managers at three apartment construction sites in Busan use only KCTU construction equipment from May 2021 to February this year, and mobilizing union members to disrupt construction at sites that did not comply. They are currently under non-custodial investigation.

The police are investigating these union officials under charges of special coercion and obstruction of business.

According to the police, Mr. A and Mr. B demanded that construction companies sign agreements to use only excavators operated by KCTU members.

If the construction companies refused, they pressured them by mobilizing union members to hold rallies or halt construction machinery operations.

Under their leadership, rallies lasted about 3 to 5 days, and they disrupted construction at other sites managed by the same construction companies under the pretext of solidarity strikes.

The police began their investigation in December last year following a request from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

They pressured construction companies by stopping construction equipment and holding rallies to extend the construction period, and it is known that the construction companies could not withstand this for several days and ended up signing the agreements as demanded.