Violence broke out during a high-altitude sit-in protest by POSCO subcontracted workers at around 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday, as a police officer used a baton to strike a protesting worker, Kim Jun-young, according to local media. Kim is the secretary general of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions’ (KCTU) Metal Workers’ Union. Video footage taken by a KCTU member purportedly showed six police officers approach Kim, who swung what appeared to be a metal rod. Police officers appear to have struck Kim with their batons, resulting in a head injury that caused him to collapse. Kim was later taken to a hospital to treat his wounds. This incident occurred amid a year-long labor dispute involving POSCO’s subcontractor over wage negotiations and what the KCTU claims as unfair labor practices.

The police reportedly justified the force used, arguing that the protesters resisted in a threatening manner and put lives at risk due to “the precarious nature of the protest.” They denied the union’s claims of violent suppression, highlighting they did not use tear gas or water cannons. However, the union retorted that it was the police’s use of batons that endangered Kim’s life, not the high-altitude sit-in protest.