Labor Ministry names 37 newly convicted workplaces

75 of 81 total violated hazard-check obligations

One case saw work resume after fatal fall with no corrective action

Members of the "HL Mando Pyeongtaek Factory Young Non-Regular Worker Late Kim Seung-mo Serious Accident Response Committee" and bereaved family members hold a press conference in front of the Seoul Employment and Labor Office in Jung-gu, Seoul, on Aug. 24, ahead of filing a complaint under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act and for illegal dispatch against HL Group Chairman Jeong Mong-won and others. The case stems from an accident last month in which Kim Seung-mo, an employee of a subcontractor, was fatally caught in machinery at HL Mando's factory in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. [Yonhap]
Members of the "HL Mando Pyeongtaek Factory Young Non-Regular Worker Late Kim Seung-mo Serious Accident Response Committee" and bereaved family members hold a press conference in front of the Seoul Employment and Labor Office in Jung-gu, Seoul, on Aug. 24, ahead of filing a complaint under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act and for illegal dispatch against HL Group Chairman Jeong Mong-won and others. The case stems from an accident last month in which Kim Seung-mo, an employee of a subcontractor, was fatally caught in machinery at HL Mando's factory in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. [Yonhap]

Nine out of 10 workplaces convicted under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act failed to properly carry out their obligation to identify and address on-site hazards, a government review has found. Of the 81 workplaces publicly named since the law took effect, 75 violated that duty. Of the 39 chief executives whose convictions were finalized and reported in the first half of this year, only one received an actual prison term.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor on Thursday published in the official gazette and on its website the names of 37 workplaces where serious industrial accidents occurred and whose convictions were finalized and reported in the first half of this year under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. The cumulative total of named workplaces has risen to 81 since the disclosure program began in September 2023.

An analysis of violations across all 81 workplaces found that 75, or 92.6 percent, had breached the obligation to inspect and address hazardous and risk factors on site.

Sixty-two workplaces, or 76.5 percent, also violated the duty to ensure that safety and health managers carried out their responsibilities diligently. Twenty-six workplaces failed to set safety and health goals and management policies, while 25 violated the obligation to solicit worker opinions and follow through on improvement measures. Twenty-two workplaces did not properly budget and execute accident-prevention spending, and 19 failed to prepare or review response manuals for serious industrial accidents. On average, each workplace violated 3.6 provisions.

In one case, a worker fell from a 1.2-meter mobile scaffold while working without basic protective equipment. The workplace resumed operations without taking any corrective action, and the worker died the following day.

Among the 39 chief executives — including two subcontractors in addition to the primary contractors — whose convictions were finalized and reported in the first half of this year across the 37 workplaces, one received an actual prison sentence, 35 received suspended sentences, and one received both a suspended sentence and a fine. Two received fines only. In total, 36 executives, or 92.3 percent, received suspended sentences.

This round of disclosures includes a workplace where a three-year prison term — the heaviest sentence handed down since the law took effect — was confirmed. Also named was a workplace where the chief executive was detained and indicted for the first time following multiple casualties, but ultimately received a sentence of one year and six months, suspended for three years, on final appeal.

From the law's effective date of Jan. 27, 2022, through the end of June this year, 85 chief executives across all publicly named workplaces have had their convictions finalized and reported. Of those, three received actual prison terms ranging from one to three years. Seventy-seven received suspended sentences, two received both a suspended sentence and a fine, and three received fines only. Fines imposed on corporations ranged from a minimum of 10 million won ($7,460) to a maximum of 2 billion won, with an average of 98 million won.

Workplaces are eligible for disclosure when a serious industrial accident occurs due to violations of safety and health obligations and a conviction is finalized and reported. Information made public includes the workplace name, the date and location of the accident, the number of victims, the cause of the accident and the violations involved, and the workplace's record of serious industrial accidents over the preceding five years. Before disclosure, workplaces are given at least 30 days to submit explanations or statements. Workplaces with convictions finalized in the first half of a given year are disclosed in the second half of that year, while those from the second half are disclosed in the first half of the following year, and remain posted on the ministry's website for one year.

Employment and Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon said a firm commitment to safety on the part of chief executives who oversee and manage operations is what guarantees worker safety on the ground. "We will provide support such as accident-prevention consulting for small businesses, while holding those responsible for serious accidents to account through rigorous investigation," he said.


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