Police Launch Investigation into Former Korean Federation of Trade Unions Executive for Extorting Money from Over 10 Construction Companies

The police have launched an investigation into officials of the Korean Federation of Construction Trade Unions suspected of extorting money from construction companies.

Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Mapo Office.
Photo by Taewon Choi skking@

According to the police on the 7th, the Violent Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency has booked Yoo, former head of the Seoul-Gyeonggi branch of the Korean Federation of Construction Trade Unions, Choi, former secretary-general of the Seoul-Gyeonggi branch of the Construction Trade Union, and Jin, former head of the organization department of the Seoul-Gyeonggi branch of the Construction Trade Union, on charges of joint extortion and is investigating them.

The police began the investigation after receiving intelligence in February. Yoo and his associates are suspected of extorting money from more than ten construction companies between 2019 and 2021. The police believe they hired people to form an organization called the 'Sasudae,' providing lodging while carrying out extortion. It is known that they threatened construction companies by occupying tower cranes at construction sites or reporting illegal foreign workers to investigative authorities.

A police official said, "The suspects are being questioned on charges of joint extortion, and we cannot disclose detailed information such as the scale of the damage."