{"id":2201227,"date":"2023-06-01T08:00:53","date_gmt":"2023-05-31T23:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2201227"},"modified":"2023-05-31T19:18:29","modified_gmt":"2023-05-31T10:18:29","slug":"union-accuses-police-of-endangering-workers-life-during-protest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/06\/union-accuses-police-of-endangering-workers-life-during-protest\/","title":{"rendered":"Union accuses police of endangering worker\u2019s life during protest"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pressian.com\/pages\/articles\/2023053109122797239\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">local media<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Kim is the secretary general of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions\u2019 (KCTU) Metal Workers\u2019 Union. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=m7kpKMOmECc\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Video footage<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 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 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hani.co.kr\/arti\/area\/honam\/1094011.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">dispute<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> involving POSCO\u2019s subcontractor over wage negotiations and what the KCTU claims as unfair labor practices.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The police reportedly justified the force used, arguing that the protesters resisted in a threatening manner and put lives at risk due to \u201cthe precarious nature of the protest.\u201d They denied the union\u2019s claims of violent suppression, highlighting they did not use tear gas or water cannons. However, the union retorted that it was the police\u2019s use of batons that endangered Kim\u2019s life, not the high-altitude sit-in protest.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The KCTU is a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/koreajoongangdaily.joins.com\/2022\/12\/05\/business\/economy\/Union-strike-Cargo-strike-KCTU\/20221205175647111.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">prominent and militant<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> umbrella labor union group.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dear readers,<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At KOREA PRO, we are committed to providing engaging and informative content tailored to our discerning audience. Recognizing the significance of your perspectives in enriching our offerings, we cordially extend an invitation for your participation in a brief <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/forms\/d\/e\/1FAIpQLScvzlZJxcMly2_rwvE0IkCy2sS_Vd9F_t7F0dJeUzDW4ropMw\/viewform\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5-minute survey<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. This opportunity allows us to capture your invaluable feedback and insights, which we greatly appreciate and consider integral to our ongoing commitment to service excellence.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>Why It Matters<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The use of police batons has sparked outrage due to concerns about excessive force. According to existing <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.police.go.kr\/user\/bbs\/BD_selectBbs.do?q_bbsCode=1002&amp;q_bbscttSn=1B000001121590000\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">guidelines<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, there should be a valid reason to resort to physical force, and officers are expected to prioritize persuasion and de-escalation if the situation is not urgent. Minor opposition Justice Party\u2019s (JP) spokesperson <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice21.org\/newhome\/board\/board_view.html?num=157768&amp;page=1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">stated<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, \u201cThe police are cracking down on workers as if they were suppressing enemy soldiers. The sight of collapsed bleeding workers reflects the violence of the government\u2019s \u2018hard-line response directive.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a separate incident, police commissioner Yoon Hee-geun <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hani.co.kr\/arti\/society\/society_general\/1094012.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">stated<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on Monday ahead of a large-scale rally organized by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) that he instructed police officers to use pepper spray under the discretion of commanding officers, depending on the situation. As President Yoon Suk-yeol maintains a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/03\/yoons-reforms-set-south-korean-government-and-labor-unions-on-collision-course\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">hardline stance<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> towards labor unions, violent confrontations may become more frequent.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"content-tags\"><a href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/tag\/culture-society\/\"><span class=\"tag\">Culture &amp; Society<\/span><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/tag\/domestic-politics\/\"><span class=\"tag\">Domestic Politics<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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\u2019 (KCTU) Metal Workers\u2019 Union. Video footage taken [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10407,"featured_media":2201228,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[25,27],"class_list":["post-2201227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-briefings","tag-culture-society","tag-domestic-politics"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Union accuses police of endangering worker\u2019s life during protest - KOREA PRO<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/06\/union-accuses-police-of-endangering-workers-life-during-protest\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Union accuses police of endangering worker\u2019s life during protest - KOREA PRO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"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\u2019 (KCTU) Metal Workers\u2019 Union. 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