Union Leader of Minnocho Who Obstructed Elementary School Opening Arrested

An executive of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) who forced the use of union personnel and equipment at an elementary school construction site, causing the school opening to be delayed, has been arrested.

On the 15th, the Busan Saha Police Station announced that they had arrested a male KCTU executive in his 50s, identified as A, on charges including extortion.

A is suspected of holding seven rallies from May to September last year at an elementary school construction site in Gangseo-gu, demanding the use of union personnel and equipment.

According to the police, he is also accused of exerting influence at apartment and cold storage construction sites in Saha-gu and Gangseo-gu, Busan, as well as Yangsan, Gyeongnam, instructing not to bring ready-mixed concrete onto the construction sites.

The police believe that A extorted several hundred million won from construction companies through these methods.

This elementary school’s construction schedule was delayed by nearly three months due to KCTU rallies and last year’s collective transport refusal by the Cargo Truckers Solidarity, resulting in the school opening being postponed to May.

Because of this, 230 new students who were supposed to enroll and about 400 students from grades 2 to 6 are attending classes at a temporary school building located 20 minutes away by school bus.

The police are investigating six additional union executives besides A. On the 14th, they also applied for an arrest warrant for a branch chief-level executive, B, on charges including extortion.

A police official said, “We are conducting investigations including analysis of bank accounts and call records,” adding, “We will eradicate behaviors that harm citizens by holding elementary school and apartment construction periods hostage.”