Workplace fatalities fall nearly 20% to record low, but deaths in manufacturing rise
Of the Ministry of Employment and Labor's three categories, the construction sector recorded the sharpest decline, with workplace fatalities falling 28.6 percent, and deaths in other industries dropped 34.4 percent. Manufacturing, however, rose 10.9 percent.
Government officials inspect a Posco E&C construction site near the Uiryeong interchange on the Hamyang-Ulsan Expressway in South Gyeongsang on July 31, 2025, following a fatal workplace accident.YONHAP
The number of people killed in workplace accidents in Korea fell nearly 20 percent in the first nine months of this year from a year earlier to reach the lowest level on record.
A total of 366 people died in workplace accidents between January and September, down 91, or 19.9 percent, from 457 over the same period last year, according to workplace accident statistics for the first three quarters of 2026, released by the Ministry of Employment and Labor on Tuesday.
The figure was the lowest for the January-to-September period since the ministry began compiling such data in 2022. The number of fatal workplace accidents also fell by 98, or 22.3 percent, from 440 to 342.
Fatalities fell in two of the ministry’s three industry categories: construction, manufacturing and other industries. The construction sector recorded the sharpest decline, with fatalities falling 28.6 percent from 210 to 150. Deaths in other industries also dropped 34.4 percent from 128 to 84.
Manufacturing, however, disrupted the trend, as fatalities rose 10.9 percent from 119 to 132.
The increase was particularly pronounced at manufacturing workplaces with 50 or more employees, where deaths surged 30.9 percent from 55 last year to 72 this year.
The rise was largely attributed to a series of major fires and explosions, including a fire at Anjun Industrial in Daejeon in March that killed 14 employees and an explosion at Hanwha Aerospace’s Daejeon facility in June that left five dead.
By accident type, falls remained the leading cause of workplace fatalities, accounting for 124 deaths, although the figure was down 75, or 37.7 percent, from a year earlier.
In contrast, deaths caused by fires and explosions jumped 46.2 percent from 26 to 38.
Fatalities among foreign workers fell 20 percent to 48, but deaths among foreign workers in manufacturing rose 33.3 percent to 24.
Vehicles are removed from the rooftop parking lot at Anjun Industrial in Daedeok District, Daejeon, on April 28, as authorities investigate the cause of a fire that left 74 people dead or injured.NEWS1
The government attributed the overall decline to stronger safety management and prevention policies.
“The president’s commitment to making the reduction of workplace fatalities the administration’s top priority, along with the [labor] minister’s visits to worksites, has heightened [safety] awareness among companies and regional governments,” said Ryu Hyun-chul, the head of the Occupational Safety and Health Policy Office at the Labor Ministry, during a briefing on Monday.
“In particular, frontline labor inspectors have played a major role by actively visiting worksites to prevent accidents rather than focusing on conducting inspections after incidents occur,” he added.
Addressing concerns that the decline in construction fatalities may simply reflect a slowdown in the industry and a reduction in construction activity, Ryu argued that government policies had played more of a significant role than economic conditions.
“The number of construction workers has fallen by only around 4 to 5 percent, while the number of construction sites has actually increased,” he said. “The impact of our policies has gone beyond the effects of economic fluctuations.”
The government intends to maintain strict oversight of high-risk workplaces and companies with repeated serious industrial accidents through the end of the year to sustain the downward trend in fatalities.
Authorities will conduct thorough inspections of fire and explosion hazards next month to prevent accidents that could lead to a large number of deaths.
The government will also expand technical and financial support for small workplaces in cooperation with regional governments and private organizations.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
