Worker dies after being hit by excavator at construction site
Published: 07 Sep. 2025, 16:43
![A construction site is seen in Seoul on Aug. 11. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/09/07/a974ac16-cae2-41f3-b113-3864d57947b6.jpg)
A construction site is seen in Seoul on Aug. 11. [YONHAP]
GIMHAE, South Gyeongsang — A worker died after being struck by heavy machinery at an apartment construction site in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang, police said on Sunday.
The accident occurred at around 8:30 a.m. on Saturday when the worker was hit by the bucket of an excavator.
The worker, employed by a subcontractor, was in charge of spraying water to control dust at the site. Investigators believe they approached the excavator just before the accident, though the reason remains unclear.
The excavator operator told police that they “did not know anyone was nearby.”
Police and the Ministry of Employment and Labor are investigating the cause of the accident, questioning witnesses and site officials. The site is subject to the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, which applies to worksites with more than five employees.
![An apartment construction site is seen in Seoul on June 23. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/09/07/12ed375b-4efe-4fc8-9a0e-b6488272bafa.jpg)
An apartment construction site is seen in Seoul on June 23. [NEWS1]
Lotte Engineering & Construction, the project’s contractor, issued an apology on Saturday under the name of CEO Park Hyun-chul, saying that the company will "take full responsibility for this accident.”
“We will mobilize every possible resource to support the bereaved family in the aftermath," read the statement. "We will halt all work at the site, cooperate fully with the investigation by authorities and carry out special safety inspections at all our worksites to prevent similar tragedies in the future."
The accident comes just over a month after President Lee Jae Myung declared what he called a “war on industrial accidents.” During a nationally televised Cabinet meeting on July 29, Lee pressed Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon to ensure progress this year.
“This year must be the first step toward eradicating fatal workplace accidents,” Lee said. “If the numbers don’t go down, the minister should take responsibility.”
Fatal accidents at construction sites continue to mount.
A worker dismantling a gang form, a large mold for concrete, at an apartment construction site in eastern Seoul, fell 50 meters (164 feet) to his death on Wednesday along with the form, which had not been secured to a tower crane hook.
![A construction site is seen in Seoul on Aug. 11. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/09/07/c2a25ed6-bcfb-4ec0-b543-fa891f9c4d1a.jpg)
A construction site is seen in Seoul on Aug. 11. [YONHAP]
Another worker died in Bucheon, Gyeonggi, on Tuesday, after being buried under soil while installing a temporary retaining structure during a water pipe valve replacement. Elsewhere on Tuesday, another worker at a new building site in southern Seoul died after falling 18 meters while installing wooden planks for a work platform.
Government data shows that 138 construction workers have died in industrial accidents during the first half of this year, eight more than in the same period last year.
Major disasters earlier this year included a fire in February at a Banyan Tree hotel construction site in Busan, which killed six workers, and a collapse in February at a highway construction site in Anseong, Gyeonggi, that killed four.
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.
BY AN DAE-HUN [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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