"Resign and Raise Pigs"… Union Chief Who Repeatedly Committed Assault and Verbal Abuse Finally Arrested and Indicted

The chairman of Jeonbuk Sunjeong Livestock Cooperative, who had been verbally abusing and assaulting employees with his shoes, has finally been arrested and indicted.

On the 31st, the Namwon Branch of Jeonju District Prosecutors' Office announced that Mr. Go (62) was arrested and indicted on charges including special intimidation, special assault, coercion, violation of the Labor Standards Act, and violation of the Stalking Punishment Act. Mr. Go is accused of repeatedly assaulting a cooperative employee with his hands at a funeral on September 13 last year, and threatening to hit the employee with a soju bottle.

On the same day, he also took off his shoes at a restaurant operated by the cooperative and struck another employee several times, threatening, "Write your resignation by Monday immediately." It was reported that Mr. Go said at the time, "I came earlier and you didn’t greet me. If you don’t resign, I won’t let you be, so write your resignation. And raise the cattle well." An employee who tried to stop him was also slapped and assaulted with shoes by Mr. Go. These employees developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after the incident and had to receive psychiatric treatment.

On April 6 last year, Mr. Go also slammed a beer bottle on a table at a karaoke room, breaking it, and threatened another employee, saying, "I’m the chairman, how do you not know my home address? Write your resignation by Monday immediately." When the incident became known through the victim employee’s complaint in September last year, Mr. Go sent 36 phone calls and 47 text messages to the victims under the pretext of settlement. He also unilaterally visited the hospital and homes where the employees were admitted.

Investigations revealed that Mr. Go frequently pressured union members who refused to withdraw their membership to resign and resorted to physical violence. Mr. Go was elected chairman in the 2nd nationwide simultaneous cooperative chairman election in 2019 and was re-elected in last year’s 3rd election. The affected employees claimed that verbal abuse, assault, and other abuses of power continued for five years after Mr. A’s re-election.