South Korea police seek murder warrant for driver who struck labor rally

South Korean police have filed for an arrest warrant on murder charges against a truck driver who struck cargo workers rallying outside a distribution center in Jinju on Monday, killing one union member and injuring two others, The Korea Times reported.

The incident underscores deepening tensions between union and non-union truckers at South Korean logistics hubs, and raises new questions about police conduct at organized labor actions following union accusations that officers enabled the driver's exit through the rally site.

The 2.5-ton truck struck rally participants who were attempting to prevent it from exiting a CU convenience store logistics center in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, The Korea Times reported. The driver fled the scene without stopping.

The victim, a union member in his 50s, went into cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead after being transported to a hospital. Two other rallygoers sustained injuries in the collision.

Police applied a murder charge against the driver — a non-union member in his 40s — after determining he had acted recklessly, according to The Korea Times. Officers filed for an arrest warrant with the courts following the determination.

The driver told police "he did not intend to hurt anyone and only tried to quickly leave the area," The Korea Times reported.

Union members accused police of actively facilitating the truck's departure from the logistics site during the rally, a claim that authorities have not publicly addressed. The allegation has fueled calls among labor advocates for an independent review of police conduct at the scene.

The Jinju case is likely to intensify scrutiny of police neutrality at labor demonstrations, with the union's allegations adding a second controversy alongside the criminal case against the driver.