[Breaking] Prosecutors Indict SPC Chairman Heo Young-in for Forcing Withdrawal from Minnocho... 17 Including Corporation Indicted Together

Heo Young-in, chairman of SPC Group, and group officials have been brought to trial on charges of urging Paris Baguette bakers affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) to withdraw from the union and instructing them to impose disadvantages.

The Public Investigation Division 3 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Im Sam-bin) indicted Chairman Heo on the 21st on charges including violation of the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act. In addition to Hwang Jae-bok, CEO of BB Partners Co., Ltd., who was previously indicted in detention on the 22nd of last month, 16 others including the labor general manager of the same company and the corporation PB Partners Co., Ltd. were also indicted without detention on the same day.

Chairman Heo and others are accused of urging about 570 union members to withdraw from the union after the KCTU-affiliated union within PB Partners, an SPC subsidiary managing bakers, continued critical activities against the management, condemning the company's union suppression and urging the implementation of a "social agreement."

They were also investigated for giving low scores in promotion evaluations because of union affiliation with the KCTU and supporting the recruitment of union members belonging to the Korea Federation of Trade Unions (KFTU), which is favorable to the management.

A prosecution official stated, "Chairman Heo oversaw the entire group and was confirmed to have led the crime by making final decisions and instructions on how to respond to the union, while regularly receiving reports on the status of union withdrawals and responses to the National Assembly and media."