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A union member climbed and occupied a tower crane about 40 meters (approximately 131 ft) high at a construction site in Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province, prompting questions about the motives behind the action.
According to Sangju city officials and the police, at around 5:30 a.m. on the 6th, a union member in his 50s identified as A, who belongs to the Gyeongbuk branch of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, climbed the tower crane at the new Sangju Culture and Arts Center construction site in Bokryong-dong and began a protest. The crane is about 40 meters (approximately 131 ft) tall.
A said, “I temporarily climbed the tower crane to protest employment issues affecting union members and to block the resumption of work on the culture and arts center,” and urged the city of Sangju and the contractor to enter into talks.
Police and fire authorities have placed safety mats beneath the crane and are standing by at the scene, closely monitoring the situation for any developments.
The incident appears to have arisen from a dispute between unions over who would operate the tower crane.
A Sangju city official explained, “Three unions handle tower crane operations, but the site requires only one crane, so the contractor signed a contract with a specific union. The union excluded from that contract appears to have reacted in protest and taken this action.” The official added that if multiple cranes could be used, a negotiated solution might be possible, but the contractor says that is not financially viable. Construction is currently suspended, leaving the city and contractor in a difficult position.
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