The CEO and site manager of a primary contractor in a fatal workplace accident in Seoul have been detained on charges of violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act — the first such detention in the Seoul area under the law.
The Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office detained the CEO and site manager — who also served as the safety and health manager — of the primary parking equipment contractor on Saturday on charges of violating both the Serious Accidents Punishment Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act. The arrests stem from a worker's death at a mechanical parking equipment installation site in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
The accident occurred on Oct. 30, 2024. A worker was dismantling lift gears at the construction site when he fell through an opening that extended roughly 15.7 meters below the work surface and died. The opening had formed during the dismantling of parking pallets and a lift table.
The Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office conducted search and seizure operations at both the primary and subcontracting firms to establish the cause of the accident and determine liability. Investigators analyzed the evidence gathered alongside an accident investigation report from the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor said it sought the arrest warrants after determining that criminal charges against the CEO and site manager were sufficiently substantiated and that there were concerns about evidence destruction to evade responsibility as well as flight risk. The failure to observe basic safety measures, which led to the fatal accident, was also cited as a factor.
The case marks the first detention in the Seoul area on charges of violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act and the fourth such detention nationwide this year.
The ministry said it would continue to pursue aggressive enforcement — including search and seizure operations and detention — against workplaces where similar accidents recur due to failure to follow basic safety rules, even when the incidents do not involve large-scale disasters.
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