Credit: Public domain.
On August 25, 2023, a 42-year-old bus driver in Daegu 대구 was arrested for obstructing law enforcement. Approximately 30 migrant workers were on his bus, which was carrying the commuting workers to the nearby industrial complex where they worked. Immigration Service 출입국관리소 vehicles lying in wait near the factories blocked and surrounded the bus, attempting to conduct a raid. Resisting them, the driver plowed through the blockade to escape, before being pursued and arrested by police.
The bus driver said he wanted to help the migrant workers, who pleaded for help as soon as they saw that a raid was about to take place. The Daegu District Court 대구지방법원 sentenced the driver to three years in prison for injuring public officials and damaging property. Following investigative reports by NewsMin 뉴스민 and Kyunghyang Shinmun 경향신문, the bus driver received more than 7k letters of support, as well as legal aid from civic groups to assist with his appeal. The appellate hearing will be held on April 6.
