In separate incident, unionized driver injures police officer while trying to ram logistics center gate
A box truck struck three union members at a protest site on Monday, killing one and injuring two others.
The 2.5-ton truck collided at around 10:32 a.m. with members of the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers’ Union, who were staging a protest at a logistics center for convenience store chain CU in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, according to the Gyeongsangnam-do Provincial Fire Headquarters.
One of the protesters, a man in his 50s, went into cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Two other union members were injured, one seriously.
Police are investigating the cause of the accident. Preliminary findings suggest some union members may have been deliberately trying to block the path of the truck.
In a separate incident hours later, at around 1:33 p.m., a vehicle driven by a union member crashed into a police barricade at the site, causing minor head injuries to an officer in his 20s. The vehicle was aiming for the logistics center gate.
The union said the move was an attempt to force entry into the facility. It accused the company of “hiding behind police” and refusing to engage in talks. Police detained two union members in connection with the incident.
The South Gyeongsang branch of the union has been calling for negotiations with CU’s operator, BGF Retail.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
