Union Official Sentenced to Prison for Extorting 24 Million Won from Construction Company Through Threats

Holding Assemblies and Filing Complaints When Refusing to Hire Union Members

Changwon District Court, Gyeongnam.
Photo by Se-ryeong Lee

A union official who extorted money from a construction company through threats was sentenced to prison.

On the 31st, the Criminal Division 7 of Changwon District Court in Gyeongnam announced that it sentenced Mr. A, former branch chief of the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Headquarters of the National Union of Construction Workers, to one year in prison with a two-year probation and ordered 120 hours of community service.

According to the court, Mr. A was indicted for threatening construction companies that refused demands for hiring union members and payment of collective wage negotiation fees by holding rallies or filing complaints.

He is accused of receiving about 24 million won from six construction companies in the Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam areas from September 2021 to September last year.

He pressured construction companies by holding rallies two to three times a week near construction sites or reporting safety deficiencies to the Safety Report Center.

The victim companies reportedly gave money out of concern that construction delays would cause greater financial burdens and other damages.

The court stated, "He used union activities as a means to threaten victims and extort money. The extorted money ultimately leads to increased construction costs, which are passed on to consumers, fundamentally threatening fair competition order, making the crime very serious."

It added, "Considering that he reached agreements with the victim companies and that this is his first offense, the sentence is determined accordingly," explaining the reasons for sentencing.