Man Armed with Weapon Hoists Himself Up Tower Crane in 3-Hour Standoff, Citing Employment Grievances

A man in his 50s has been arrested by police after climbing a tower crane with a weapon and staging a standoff lasting more than three hours at a construction site in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.

The Yongin Dongbu Police Station announced today (July 27) that it has arrested a man, identified as A, on-site on charges of obstruction of business and trespassing.

A is accused of unlawfully entering the construction site for the new women's welfare center in Mapyeong-dong, Cheoin-gu, Yongin, at around 9 a.m. and climbing a 40-meter-high tower crane while carrying a weapon, staging a protest for about 3 hours and 30 minutes.

Police dispatched to the scene arrested A on the spot after he climbed down from the tower crane on his own.

According to police investigations, A had worked as a daily forklift driver at the construction site for about a year starting last year.

Investigations revealed that A climbed the tower crane out of frustration after the management recently attempted to hire a different worker instead of him.

A police official stated, "He did not attempt to harm others and had no prior criminal record, so he was booked without detention," adding, "We will look into the exact circumstances based on statements from A and officials at the site."

(Photo provided by Yonhap News TV, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.