On May 1, a South Korean Worker burned himself to death. He is an official of the local chapter of a nationwide construction workers’ union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU).
In his suicide note, he wrote “I have engaged in union activities in a just and innocent manner, yet I am being charged not with the violation of the assembly and demonstration law, but with obstruction of business and blackmail. My pride cannot permit this.”
He was scheduled to attend a pretrial detention hearing on charges of business obstruction on same day.
The construction workers’ union said “We strongly condemn the repression of construction unions by the Yoon Suk-yeol regime, which is the root cause of the crisis, and will continue to struggle to the end with all our organizational capacity to defend the rights of construction workers.”
The metal workers’ union stressed that “The repression of union by Yoon Suk-yeol regime, eventually led to the self-immolation of worker” and “the political power provoked the harted of unions in society, put a red gag on workers seeking their rights, and nipped in the bud the growth of democratic union in the workplace.”
“Who is it that has left nothing only with self-burning to the workers whose hopes have been taken away?” “We won’t stand all aggression against workers”, it declared.
The KCTU issued a statement, saying “The unjustified oppression against trade unions has finally led this situation”, “Accusing construction unions and construction workers of being corrupt and unscrupulous, it repressed resulting in 13 raids, 950 summonses, and 15 detainee. It led the extreme resistance of worker throwing his life.”
