You will recall that following the Mass People’s Rally held in South Korea on 14 November 2015, hundreds of union officers and members were summoned and charged with criminal offenses. Despite the repeated criticism of the Korean government’s excessive measures and violations of human and fundamental labour rights, the latest of which includes the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Freedom of Assembly and Association, countless workers, including the President of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, have been convicted and sentenced or are still undergoing trial from behind bars.

Korean Public Service and Transport Workers’ Union (KPTU) Vice President, Cho Sung-deok, is one of these jailed workers. For him, the prosecution asked for a prison sentence of 5 years. He will be sentenced on 21 July 2016, at 10:00 am (GMT +8; CET 03:00 am).

PSI stands in solidarity with KPTU and calls all its affiliates to sign the petition addressed to the Tribunal that will sentence Vice President Cho. For this, please:

Download the petition Fill in with your name and add your electronic signature (otherwise, print and sign it) Send it back to Wol-san Liem, KPTU Director of International Affairs (kptu.intl@gmail.com or fax: +82 2 497 0444) and/or Camilio Rubiano, PSI Trade Union Rights Officer (camilo.rubiano@world-psi.org or fax: +33 4 5040 7320).

All petitions must be submitted before the evening of 7 July 2016.

For more information, see:



