Former KCTU official sentenced to 15 years in prison in first trial for 'spying charges'

A former official of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, who was put on trial for spying under orders from North Korea, was sentenced to heavy punishment in the first trial.

The Suwon District Court sentenced Seok, a former director of the organizing dispute bureau of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, to 15 years in prison yesterday (6th) on charges of violating the national security law, including espionage.

In addition, Kim and Yang, former executives of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions who were handed over to trial, were sentenced to seven years and five years in prison, respectively.Three people, including

Seok, were arrested in court on the grounds of fear of escape.

The court said Seok's repeated pledge of allegiance to the North Korean regime and his periodic contact with North Korean operatives abroad clearly risked substantial harm to national security or the basic liberal democratic order.

also revealed the reason for the heavy sentence, saying that Seok's crime resulted in serious consequences for members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions operating within the legal range to be suspected of moving to North Korea's orders.Mr.

Seok and others were put on trial in May last year on charges of spying under the pretext of union activities or contacting North Korean agents abroad under the order of the North Korean Cultural Exchange Bureau for five years from 2017.