Assemblyman Jung Junho Cites Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Data
In the past five years, 113 workers have died from industrial accidents at the top 10 construction companies in South Korea. There has been little change in the number of fatalities due to industrial accidents even after the enforcement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act.
According to data submitted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to Assemblyman Jung Junho of the Democratic Party, a member of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, a total of 113 workers died in accidents at the top 10 construction companies between 2020 and 2024.
As of July this year, 16 workers have already died, and the number of fatalities has not decreased since the implementation of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act in 2022.
From 2020 to July this year, Daewoo Engineering & Construction recorded the highest number of accident-related deaths with 20, followed by Hyundai Engineering & Construction with 19, HDC Hyundai Development Company with 18, Hyundai Engineering with 14, and POSCO E&C with 13.
This year alone, Hyundai Engineering has already seen 6 deaths, and based on its operating profit for the first half of the year (214.3 billion won), the estimated penalty is expected to reach 10.7 billion won.
POSCO E&C also recorded 9 fatal accidents last year and this year. As the company posted an operating loss in the first half of the year, if it cannot turn a profit by the end of the year, it will have to pay the minimum penalty of 3 billion won.
The fatality rate from industrial accidents in South Korea remains high by international standards.
Last year, South Korea's fatal accident rate (number of deaths per 10,000 workers) was 0.39, which is significantly higher than Japan (0.12), Germany (0.11), and the United Kingdom (0.03).
Assemblyman Jung stated, "We must see investment in industrial safety not as a cost, but as a core asset that determines the long-term competitiveness of the country and companies," adding, "We need to fundamentally reduce industrial accident deaths by expanding investment in safety."
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