Labor ministry names 37 workplaces with confirmed fatal accident convictions

The labor ministry said Thursday it has published the names of 37 workplaces where convictions for serious industrial accidents became final in the first half of 2026.

The ministry posted the details in the government gazette and on its website under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. The published entries cover not only the site's name, the time and place of the accident and its cause but also the company's record of serious accidents over the past five years.

Across all 81 workplaces disclosed so far, the most commonly violated provision, cited at 75 sites, was the failure to inspect and improve the identification of hazardous and risk factors, followed by the failure to take measures ensuring safety and health managers properly carry out their duties, cited at 62 sites. Disclosed workplaces averaged 3.6 violations each.

The batch includes the heaviest sentence handed down since the law took effect: a three-year prison term that became final. It also includes a site where multiple workers were killed or injured and where a management official was arrested and indicted for the first time, only to have a final sentence of one and a half years in prison suspended for three years.

Another case drew attention for its circumstances. A worker fell while working without basic protective equipment on a mobile scaffold about 1.2 meters high, and work resumed without any measures being taken before the worker died the following day.

Across the 37 sites, 39 management officials received final rulings: one received a prison term, 35 received suspended prison sentences, one received both a suspended prison term and a fine, and two received fines. Cumulatively, 85 officials have now been sentenced: three to prison terms of one to three years, 77 to suspended terms, and three to fines of 10 million won to 30 million won ($22,380).

The disclosures have grown quickly, from three workplaces in 2023 and twelve in 2024 to 29 in 2025. Falls remain the most frequent fatal accident type, accounting for 84 of the 253 deaths subject to investigation in the first half of this year.

"Safety can never be emphasized enough, and in particular the firm safety awareness and actions of the management officials who oversee and manage operations ensure safety at worksites," Employment and Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon said. He added that the ministry would provide support such as accident prevention consulting for small companies while pursuing strict investigations of workplaces where serious accidents occur.