Bakery mogul Hur Young-in arrested at Seoul hospital in union-busting probe

Social Affairs

Published: 02 Apr. 2024, 12:01 Updated: 02 Apr. 2024, 18:48

Bakery mogul Hur Young-in arrested at Seoul hospital in union-busting probe

SPC Group Chairman Hur Young-in leaves the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul in February after the his charges related to instructing the sale of affiliate shares at a lower price to evade gift taxes were cleared. [YONHAP]

Prosecutors on Tuesday detained bakery giant SPC Group's chairman, Hur Young-in, on accusations of allegedly coercing employees to leave a major labor union.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on Tuesday arrested Hur, who was charged with violating the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act by allegedly forcing bakers at Paris Baguette, a bakery chain run by SPC Group, to withdraw from the labor union. A court had earlier issued an arrest warrant for him.

Prosecutors located Hur in a Seoul hospital and executed the arrest warrant at around 8 a.m. the same day. He was transferred to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office for questioning.

Prosecutors previously requested a warrant from the court, considering the seriousness of the allegations and the need for in-person questioning.

The prosecutors' office summoned Hur for questioning three times last month, but the bakery mogul rebuffed those requests, citing his business schedule.

Although he appeared at the prosecution office for questioning on March 25, investigators ended the session after an hour as Hur claimed to suffer from chest pain.

Authorities summoned Hur again on Monday. However, Hur refused to follow, saying that his hospitalization due to health issues made it difficult for him to attend the investigation.

The chairman’s continued noncompliance with the authorities’ requests was grounds for the arrest warrant.

Hur has been accused of pressuring his corporation's bakers to withdraw from the labor union affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions from 2019 to 2022 and coercing them to join the corporate-friendly Federation of Korean Trade Unions instead. The two groups are Korea's largest trade unions.

The authorities alleged that Hur conducted unfair labor practices by disadvantaging bakers affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions regarding their performance assessment.

Hur has not been indicted but has been questioned as a suspect of violating labor laws.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]