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[Choice Times — Kyu-jae Chung, former editorial writer at Korea Economic Daily]
At 10:59 a.m. on the 1st, an explosion tore through a Hanwha Aerospace plant in Oesam-dong, Yuseong District, Daejeon. The blast killed five people; another worker suffered severe burns over much of the body, and a further person sustained minor injuries. Fire authorities say the explosion occurred during a cleaning operation that involved explosive materials. (Editor’s Note)
Since taking office, President Lee Jae-myung has made reducing deaths from industrial accidents a priority. He has repeatedly expressed frustration with South Korea’s workplace fatality figures, which have long lagged behind those of many other OECD countries.
He has invoked the Serious Accidents Punishment Act with visible anger, even asserting that construction projects—and perhaps the construction industry itself—have little value if they cannot prevent workplace deaths.
But the evidence suggests that presidential resolve alone cannot quickly reverse industrial fatality trends.
In 2024, the year before President Lee took office, there were 2,098 workplace deaths, giving a fatality rate of 0.98. In the first year after his inauguration, reported workplace deaths rose to 2,248—an increase of 150—and the fatality rate edged up to 0.99.
I have long maintained that workplace deaths will not fall simply because a president urges them to. Traffic fatalities declined over time not only because of stricter regulations but also because vehicle technologies improved; preventing industrial accidents likewise requires both better policy and technological advances, not just rhetoric.
Indeed, some of this administration’s safety policies may have produced unintended consequences by overcompensating for workers’ lapses. That approach can devalue firms’ investments in prevention while sharply increasing the burden and cost of supervision and management.
I’ve seen many worksites where fall-prevention equipment is treated with astonishing neglect. Reportedly, compensation for the death of a foreign worker rose from the mid-300 million KRW range (approximately $262,500) to well over 600 million KRW (approximately $450,000), creating what critics call a structurally perverse incentive.
A substantial share of workplace accidents stems from workers’ own actions. Yet the Serious Accidents Punishment Act has increased employers’ liability far more than it has strengthened mechanisms to hold negligent workers accountable.
There is a real risk that the law, as currently implemented, may create incentives that unintentionally raise accident risks.
When a worker is responsible for an accident, the system must be able to hold that worker appropriately accountable.
Unless individual workers remain fully alert and vigilant, we cannot eliminate workplace accidents in any practical sense. The awareness that negligence can cause tragic and meaningless death must itself serve as a strong deterrent.
Even today, on many high-rise construction sites, workers wear lightweight mesh safety vests because they are cooler in hot weather; those vests can snag and tear easily. Proper use of safety harnesses remains uncommon because the equipment is often uncomfortable and cumbersome.
Today, another tragedy struck at a Hanwha Group factory, killing multiple workers.
Will the president once again respond with public displays of anger, or will he pursue a different, more effective approach?
#WorkplaceSafety
#IndustrialAccidents
#SouthKoreaEconomy
* This article has been translated by ChatGPT.
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