HL Mando's planned official apology regarding the death of a subcontracted worker in his 20s was canceled due to opposition from the victim's family. Although the event was organized more than two months after the incident, the family blocked the press conference, citing a lack of prior consultation on the apology and measures.
On September 21, HL Mando intended to hold a press conference at its headquarters in Pangyo, Seongnam, to issue a statement of apology and announce comprehensive safety improvement measures related to the death of Kim Seung-mo. However, Vice Chairman Cho Sung-hyun and Vice President Kim Hyun-wook were prevented from entering the venue by family members and representatives of the safety committee.
About 20 minutes before the scheduled start of the conference, at around 3:40 PM, the family and the 'Kim Seung-mo Serious Accident Response Committee' arrived at the scene and demanded the event be halted. Kim's father stated, "This sudden apology and announcement of measures without prior coordination or consultation is a media play with intent. We cannot accept or tolerate an apology given in this manner."
According to the committee, there had been no agreement between the family and HL Mando, and the company had not expressed any apology or regret to the family since the accident.
Vice Chairman Cho remarked, "We prepared for this conference because we had not officially expressed our condolences to the family or checked safety. Although there are differences in our positions, we hope to reach an agreement quickly and will continue discussions with the family."
Meanwhile, HL Mando issued a separate statement expressing condolences for the late Kim Seung-mo and offering heartfelt sympathy and apologies to the grieving family. The company outlined seven major improvement measures, including the introduction of external safety inspections and strengthening related budgets and organizations.
HL Mando plans to conduct annual joint inspections with external safety experts and enhance its internal safety inspection system to proactively identify and track risks. For risks identified through special safety inspections, the company will allocate special budgets, and in urgent cases requiring immediate on-site improvements, it will implement a 'take action first, report later' system without going through the budget approval process.
Earlier, on July 22, at around 12:50 PM, Kim Seung-mo, an employee of a partner company, died after becoming trapped between a malfunctioning processing machine and a wall while inspecting the machine. The family and the committee argue that this serious accident occurred due to illegal dispatch structures and gaps in safety management.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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