Confirmed Workplaces with Major Accident Violations in the Second Half of Last Year Reach Record High of 7 Sites

First Workplace Prosecuted Under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act Included
Multiple Construction Site Accidents Involving Entrapment and Falls

The government disclosed seven workplaces last year in the second half where sentences were finalized and notified under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. This is the highest number since the related announcements began. As the number of finalized rulings under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act increases in the future, the number of disclosed workplaces is expected to rise further.

Ministry of Employment and Labor

On the 16th, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that it had published the occurrence of serious industrial accidents in the official gazette and on the Ministry’s website in accordance with the "Serious Accidents Punishment Act."

Based on the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, the Ministry of Employment and Labor has been disclosing workplaces where serious industrial accidents occurred and sentences were finalized and notified on a semiannual basis since September 2023. This time, it disclosed seven workplaces where sentences were finalized and notified in the second half of last year. This is the highest number of cases since the related announcements began. Previously, the Ministry disclosed a total of eight workplaces, including five in the first half of last year, two in the second half of 2023, and one in the first half of 2023.

An official from the Ministry of Employment and Labor explained, "Since the Serious Accidents Punishment Act was enforced in January 2022, and it takes time for rulings to be made, there were not many disclosures. Going forward, as the number of rulings increases, the number of disclosed workplaces is expected to gradually increase."

The workplaces disclosed this time are ▲Duseong Industry ▲Taeseong General Construction ▲Mandeok Construction ▲Newbotec ▲Sanghyun General Construction ▲Shinil Precision ▲SY. Included is Duseong Industry, which became the first to be prosecuted under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act in 2022 after 16 employees suffered acute poisoning due to the leakage of hazardous chemical substances, and several construction companies were named as deaths occurred from entrapment and falls at various construction sites.

The management heads of the disclosed workplaces all received suspended prison sentences. Kim Min-seok, Vice Minister of Employment and Labor, said, "through this disclosure, we hope to spread the awareness that companies violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act will suffer social disgrace and to foster a culture that values workers’ safety and lives," adding, "we will do our best to reduce serious accidents by supervising high-risk workplaces and vulnerable industries."