Securities Firm Employee Collapses and Dies from Superior's Verbal Abuse... Court Orders Payment of Survivor Benefits

Overwork and Stress Recognized as Causes of Death
"Likely Caused Extreme Tension, Anxiety, and Embarrassment"

A court ruling has ordered the payment of survivor benefits to the family of a securities firm employee who suddenly collapsed and died from a myocardial infarction. The court recognized overwork and stress due to work as the cause of death.

Mr. A joined a securities firm in 2005 and worked as a sales professional responsible for stock brokerage and financial product sales.

On May 11, 2021, after arriving at work and sitting down to perform his duties, he collapsed around 9:21 a.m. and was transported to the hospital but did not regain consciousness and passed away around 8 a.m. the following day. The cause of death was cardiac rupture due to acute myocardial infarction.

The day Mr. A collapsed was the listing day of a company that had attracted significant attention. It was found that he arrived at work around 7:40 a.m. and prepared for stock trading before the market opened.

As the stock price of the company plunged more than 30% immediately after the market opened, Mr. A hurried to place trading orders, but the stock order terminal suddenly malfunctioned, preventing him from placing orders properly.

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Mr. A’s supervisor was investigated to have verbally abused and insulted him when he reported that the terminal was not working. Afterwards, Mr. A sent text messages saying, “I am completely exhausted right now,” and “The order terminal is broken and everything is chaotic,” before collapsing at his desk.

Mr. A’s wife filed a claim for survivor benefits with the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service, citing overwork and stress from work as the cause. However, the Service denied the claim, stating that there was no significant causal relationship. Mr. A’s wife then filed an appeal lawsuit.

According to the legal community on the 16th, the Seoul Administrative Court, Administrative Division 7 (Presiding Judge Lee Ju-young) ruled in favor of the plaintiff in the lawsuit filed by Mr. A’s wife against the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service to cancel the denial of survivor benefits and funeral expenses.

The court explained, “The terminal malfunction and the supervisor’s verbal abuse likely caused extreme tension, anxiety, and embarrassment to the deceased,” adding, “It appears to have acted as an unexpected and sudden stress factor.” The court also recognized the temporal proximity to the situation in which Mr. A collapsed.

It was known that Mr. A was diagnosed with variant angina around June 2013, but the court explained, “With continuous health management and treatment thereafter, a health checkup conducted around 2020 showed no particular issues other than suspected hypertension.”

The court further judged, “Although it is true that Mr. A continued to consume alcohol, it is difficult to consider that alcohol consumption itself directly affected the onset of symptoms.”