“[Exclusive] Director of organization deceived certain KCTU executives who were arrested”

2 out of 4 people appeal to the court for resentment, and the director of the organization has the right to remain silent… Aspects of infighting Other union members are also revealed to be contacting North Korean operatives

It was found that four former and incumbent executives, including Mr. A, director of the organization of the National Confederation of Democratic Trade Unions (CTU), who were arrested for violating the National Security Law, showed mixed attitudes during the examination of the validity of the arrest warrant.

According to Dong-A Ilbo coverage on the 29th, Mr. A, who is suspected of being the general manager, and Mr. B, the head of the organization department of the National Health and Medical Industry Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, exercised the right to remain silent during the warrant review held at the Suwon District Court on the 27th, while Mr. C, who served as the vice chairman of the metal union under the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, exercised the right to remain silent during the warrant review. Mr. D, the representative of the Sewol Ferry Jeju Memorial Hall and Peace Shelter, said, “I was deceived by Mr. A,” and actively appealed to the court for resentment.

Unlike the previously arrested and indicted charges of violating the National Security Act, four members of the ‘Independent Unification People’s Vanguard’ (Jantong) organization in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do, strongly protested with refusal to testify and fasting without any change in attitude after arrest. will be. Authorities seem to expect to be able to elicit positive statements from C and D.

Authorities also confirmed that after creating an underground organization that followed North Korea, Mr. A and others worked systematically with titles such as ‘branch manager’, ‘team leader 2’ and ‘team leader 3’. They say that they referred to the underground organization to which they belonged as ‘governor’ and called Mr. A, who was in charge of the role of general manager, ‘branch manager’. During the warrant review, the authorities are said to have emphasized that “the largest trade union in Korea, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, was used as a shield to disguise the South Korean operations as legitimate union activities.” It was also revealed that an official from the Confederation of Trade Unions, who was additionally searched and seized on the 24th of this month, contacted a North Korean spy in China in 2018.

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The KCTU issued a statement on the 28th, the day after Mr. A and others were arrested, and expressed its position, “We condemn the National Intelligence Service for trying to carry out impure intentions by organizing the KCTU before the final judicial decision is made.”

Reporter Jang Eun-ji jej@donga.com
Reporter Ko Do-ye yea@donga.com