Thirty-seven additional workplaces have been penalized under the Serious Accident Punishment Act, bringing the total number of confirmed penalized workplaces to 81. Among these, 92.6% were found to have violated inspection obligations regarding the identification and improvement of hazardous and dangerous factors.
On October 15, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that it would publish the names of 37 workplaces where serious industrial accidents occurred and penalties were confirmed in the first half of this year in the official gazette and on its website.
The Serious Accident Punishment Act mandates the disclosure of the names of workplaces, the date and location of the accidents, details and causes of the incidents, and the history of serious accidents over the past five years when a business owner or management official violates safety and health obligations, resulting in a serious industrial accident.
The number of disclosed workplaces with serious industrial accidents has been steadily increasing. The ministry published seven workplaces in April and September of last year, and in March of this year, it added 22 workplaces where penalties were confirmed in the second half of 2025. In September of last year, it disclosed seven workplaces from the first half of 2025, which increased to 22 in the March announcement.
The management officials of the 37 disclosed workplaces include a total of 39 individuals, including two subcontractors. One individual received a prison sentence, while 35 received suspended prison sentences. One individual was sentenced to both a suspended prison term and a fine, and two others received fines.
Among the disclosed cases is a workplace where the heaviest sentence under the Serious Accident Punishment Act, a three-year prison term, was confirmed. There is also a case where multiple casualties occurred, and the management official was initially arrested and indicted, later receiving a final sentence of one year and six months in prison with a three-year suspension.
There are also cases where workers died due to a lack of basic safety measures. One worker fell while working without protective gear on a mobile scaffold 1.2 meters high and died the following day after work resumed without any safety measures.
The safety management status of the penalized workplaces has also been revealed. Of the 81 workplaces where penalties were confirmed and reported since the implementation of the Serious Accident Punishment Act, 75 (92.6%) violated inspection obligations regarding the identification and improvement of hazardous and dangerous factors.
Additionally, 62 workplaces (76.5%) failed to take necessary measures to ensure that safety and health management officials performed their duties diligently. The average number of violations per workplace was 3.6. Violations of budget allocation and execution obligations necessary for accident prevention were found in 22 workplaces, while 26 workplaces violated obligations related to setting safety and health goals and management policies.
Based on cumulative confirmed penalties, among 85 management officials, three received prison sentences, and 77 received suspended prison sentences. Three received fines, and two received both a suspended sentence and a fine. Fines imposed on corporations ranged from 20 million to 100 million won, with an average of 98 million won.
Kim Young-hoon, Minister of Employment and Labor, stated, "The firm safety awareness and actions of management officials overseeing operations ensure safety on-site. The ministry will provide support such as accident prevention consulting for small businesses and will hold accountable those responsible for serious accidents through thorough investigations."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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