Union official arrested and indicted for extorting money by threatening construction companies with protests if union workers are not employed

Changwon District Prosecutors' Office, Gyeongnam.
Photo by Yonhap News

A union official who extorted tens of millions of won from construction companies through threats has been arrested and indicted.

The Criminal Division 4 of Changwon District Prosecutors' Office in Gyeongnam announced on the 30th that it has arrested and indicted Mr. A, the head of the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam branch of the Construction Workers' Union, on charges including joint extortion.

According to the prosecution, from August 2021 to September 2022, Mr. A visited construction sites in the Gyeongnam area demanding the employment of union members.

He is accused of threatening six construction companies that refused by saying he would hold rallies, and extorted 23.4 million won under the pretext of union full-time fees.

During the investigation, it was revealed that Mr. A repeatedly extorted money solely for the purpose of receiving union full-time fees without any intention of having his union members employed.

After receiving training from a higher-level union organization in Seoul on how to report safety issues and deal with affected companies, he came down to Gyeongnam and committed the crimes.

When construction companies refused to hire union members, Mr. A held four rallies and filed 37 complaints, disrupting the construction work.

It is known that the construction companies had no choice but to pay Mr. A because the damages would have been greater if the construction was halted.

Most of the money Mr. A received was used for union officials' salaries and was not used to improve the working conditions or rights of the union members.

The prosecution plans to continue to respond strictly to illegal activities occurring at construction sites.