Prosecutors directly arrested a business owner who habitually withheld wages from workers in their 20s and sent the case to trial with the owner in custody.
The Uijeongbu District Prosecutors Office Criminal Division 4 (chief prosecutor Park Young-sik) said on the 15th that it directly arrested a business owner, identified only as A, who habitually delayed paying entry-level workers and went into hiding, and indicted A in custody on charges of violating the Labor Standards Act.
According to prosecutors, A was found to have 19 prior offenses violating the Labor Standards Act. A also delayed the criminal investigation by not responding to calls from labor office inspectors and frequently changing residences.
Prosecutors said they obtained an arrest warrant for the defendant during supplementary investigation and arrested A through measures including base station location tracking.
Prosecutors considered detention necessary in light of the harm A caused to entry-level workers. After obtaining a detention warrant and filing charges, they guided the victimized workers to legal counseling.
Prosecutors said, "We will work to sustain the indictment so that the defendant receives a stern punishment commensurate with the wrongdoing," adding, "We will continue to do our best to strictly crack down on wage arrears crimes that threaten workers' livelihoods."