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Uptick in workplace fatalities wrongfoots Lee's 'war on industrial accidents'

Published: 25 Nov. 2025, 18:39

A boiler tower at the Ulsan Thermal Power Plant is seen collapsed in Nam District, Ulsan on Nov. 10. [YONHAP]

Despite the Lee Jae Myung administration’s declaration of a “war on industrial accidents,” the number of workers killed in workplace mishaps turned upward last quarter for the first time in three years, with the sharpest increases occurring at small businesses.

Experts warn that harsher penalties alone cannot reduce accidents at small worksites that lack work force and resources.

According to provisional third-quarter data released Tuesday by the Ministry of Employment and Labor on fatalities subject to industrial accident investigations, 457 workers died in accidents in the first three quarters of 2025, up by 14, or 3.2 percent, from 443 during the same period last year.

Fatalities subject to investigation refer to industrial deaths that occurred because employers failed to comply with obligations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

The figures constitute the Lee administration’s first de facto report card on industrial safety since declaring war on industrial accidents. The government has warned that companies with workplace accidents will face steep fines and other economic penalties, and the Serious Accidents Punishment Act began applying in full to businesses with fewer than 50 employees from 2024.

Officials search for the last body trapped under acollapsed tower at the Ulsan Thermal Power Plant in Ulsan on Nov. 14. [ULSAN FIRE HEADQUARTERS]

Nevertheless, after declining every year since related statistics began in 2022, workplace deaths have risen for the first time. Ryu Hyun-cheol, head of the ministry’s Industrial Safety and Health Bureau, said the public should look at long-term trends rather than reacting to short-term fluctuations.

A closer look shows the rise in deaths is concentrated among smaller worksites. At businesses with 50 or more employees, or construction projects worth 5 billion won ($3.4 million) or more, fatalities fell to 182, down by 12, or 6.2 percent, from a year earlier.

But at businesses with fewer than 50 employees, or construction projects below 5 billion won, deaths increased to 275, up by 26, or 10.4 percent. The jump was especially steep at businesses with fewer than five employees, where deaths rose by 27, or 24.5 percent.

Rescue workers carry a recovered body out of a collapsed structure on a stretcher at the site of the Ulsan Thermal Power Plant in Ulsan on the morning of Nov. 12. [NATIONAL FIRE AGENCY]

By industry, the most significant increase occurred in sectors other than construction and manufacturing, where fatalities climbed to 128, up by 22, or 20.8 percent, from 106 last year. Among them, deaths in the retail and wholesale sector, primarily made up of small employers, rose to 20, up by 11, while fatalities in agriculture, forestry and fisheries climbed to 19, up by 10.

Construction also saw deaths rise sharply at small-scale sites with low safety management standards and short project durations. At sites with project budgets below 500 million won, 91 workers were killed, up by 19 from last year, accounting for 43 percent of all 210 construction-related industrial deaths.

Industry groups say the rise in accidents at small businesses shows that stronger penalties alone cannot solve the problem. In a survey released Tuesday by the Korea Enterprises Federation, 73 percent of 222 companies aware of the government’s comprehensive labor safety plan said the policies do not help prevent major workplace accidents.

Boiler Units No. 4 and 6 stand precariously on either side of the collapsed No. 5 tower at the Ulsan Thermal Power Plant on Nov. 9, four days after the boiler tower collapsed. [YONHAP]

The most common reason, cited by 57 percent, was that the measures focus more on punishment after accidents than on prevention.

The government, however, maintains that strict enforcement remains essential. “The purpose of the government’s safety and health policies is to hold companies strictly accountable after accidents and to ensure capable firms fulfill their responsibilities,” Ryu said. “Relying solely on corporate autonomy is not enough, and self-regulation often leads to deregulation.”

Park Kwi-cheon, a professor at Ewha Womans University Law School, said strong sanctions appear to have reduced deaths at large companies, but penalties alone cannot curb accidents at small businesses.

“Punishment cannot be treated as a cure-all,” Prof. Park said. “Even if progress is slow, improving awareness and providing practical support to small workplaces must be at the center of efforts to reduce industrial accidents.”

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 KIM YEON-JOO [[email protected]]