Ministry of Employment and Labor and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport launch emergency joint inspection of Sinansan Line construction site; headquarters raid and criminal investigation to proceed in parallel; Posco Group affiliate chiefs summoned to demand prevention measures

Officials from the Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency and the Ministry of Employment and Labor enter Posco E&C's headquarters in Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, to conduct a search and seizure. The raid came after a worker from Myanmar in his 30s was killed in an apparent electrocution while inspecting a water pump at an underground pool at the Gwangmyeong-Seoul Expressway extension construction site in Gyeonggi Province last August. [Yonhap]
Officials from the Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency and the Ministry of Employment and Labor enter Posco E&C's headquarters in Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, to conduct a search and seizure. The raid came after a worker from Myanmar in his 30s was killed in an apparent electrocution while inspecting a water pump at an underground pool at the Gwangmyeong-Seoul Expressway extension construction site in Gyeonggi Province last August. [Yonhap]

The Ministry of Employment and Labor is launching a sweeping crackdown on Posco E&C following a string of fatal accidents at its construction sites, ordering a planned inspection of the company's headquarters, unannounced checks at worksites nationwide and a criminal investigation. The ministry will also conduct an emergency joint inspection with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport at the Sinansan double-track railway construction site, where workers have died repeatedly for years.

A worker died Monday after falling through an opening in an electrical conduit room at the Sinansan double-track railway construction site in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, the ministry said. The fatality brings the total number of deaths at Posco E&C construction sites to one so far this year, following one in 2023, three in 2024 and five in 2025.

Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon, who was attending the International Labour Organization General Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, ordered immediate and extraordinary action against Posco E&C upon receiving word of the accident.

The ministry will begin joint inspections with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport covering seven construction sections of the Sinansan double-track railway project, where fatal accidents have been concentrated.

Four workers have died in four separate accidents at the Sinansan construction site since 2024. If inspectors identify fall or collapse hazards, the ministry will issue safety and health diagnostic orders and assign dedicated inspectors to each site for intensive oversight. Other Posco E&C construction sites will also face unannounced inspections.

A planned inspection of the company's headquarters will proceed alongside the site checks. The ministry will closely examine whether Posco E&C has implemented the safety and health management improvements it was directed to make in January, and will demand additional corrective plans for any shortfalls.

The ministry will also accelerate the criminal investigation into the cause of the accident, pursuing search and seizure operations to examine potential violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, and will hold those responsible strictly accountable.

Upon returning to South Korea, Minister Kim plans to summon the chief executives of Posco E&C and other Posco Group affiliates that have recently experienced fatal accidents to review their safety management practices and demand measures to prevent recurrence. Since the Serious Accidents Punishment Act took effect, 18 workers have died across Posco Group affiliates — 10 at Posco E&C and four at Posco, among others.

"The repeated occurrence of fatal falls and other accidents caused by failure to implement basic safety measures raises serious doubts about whether Posco E&C is carrying out effective accident prevention," Kim said. "We will pursue an intensive and swift investigation to hold those responsible for any violations fully accountable, and will strongly demand that Posco Group put in place fundamental measures to prevent a recurrence."


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