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The government took issue with the illegality of construction sites by pointing out the monthly fee for tower cranes. The company customarily gave crane operators a little more than their salary for a monthly fee, and in the future, if they demanded this, they would suspend their licenses.

The on-site reaction was covered by reporter Ahn Sang-woo.

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A tower crane carrying heavy materials at
an apartment construction site.

Crane operators receive a salary from their crane rental company, which is customary to receive another payment.

It is a 'monthly fee' of money given informally by a construction subcontractor.

It's a kind of back money, and companies say they have to pay a monthly fee.

[Subcontractor official: If this fee (monthly fee) does not go out, you will not carry a large formwork, or if you have a speed of operation from 1st to 4th gear, it will just run from 1st or 2nd gear.]

According to an investigation by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Infrastructure, 59% of the illegal activity damage cases received at construction sites were for the payment of monthly fees for tower crane operators.

In some cases, the monthly fee of the 438 drivers caught was 243.1 billion won, and in some cases, one driver received 2 million won for one year.

[Won Hee-ryong/Minister of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport: The damage is going back to the people. As soon as we receive the monthly fee, we will suspend the qualification and remove you from the market.]

Crane operators protested, saying it was a practice of forcing construction companies to do too much work.

[Kim Kyung-so/Director of External Cooperation of the Tower Crane Union of the Korea Workers' Union: There is something illegal about it, but it was an allowance given to us by the company because if the tower helps, the construction can be carried out a little faster with less labor costs.]

The construction unions also say that they do not advocate for monthly fees, and that the responsibility of the original construction industry for excessively pressuring the construction period should be mentioned so that it can be eradicated.

Recently, the High Court ruled that "monthly fees customarily paid for decades are of the nature of wages," and the Ministry of Lands and Lands has nothing to do with prohibiting future payments.

(Video editing by Lee Seung-yeol)

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