Detention sought for SPC Samlip officials over worker’s death
Published: 09 Jan. 2026, 20:42
Updated: 10 Jan. 2026, 10:30
![Officials from the National Forensic Service and other agencies wait to begin a joint inspection into a workplace safety incident at the SPC Samlip plant in Siheung, Gyeonggi, on May 27, 2025. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/01/10/82526b08-3516-4fa2-b287-0c663a0e675f.jpg)
Officials from the National Forensic Service and other agencies wait to begin a joint inspection into a workplace safety incident at the SPC Samlip plant in Siheung, Gyeonggi, on May 27, 2025. [NEWS1]
Police and labor authorities are seeking detention warrants for officials at SPC Samlip’s Sihwa plant in Siheung, Gyeonggi, over a worker’s death last year.
The Siheung Police Precinct filed pretrial detention warrants for four individuals, including the plant’s head, on charges of occupational negligence resulting in death. The Seongnam branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor also applied for a separate warrant for the head on charges of violating the Industrial Safety and Health Act.
The case stems from the death of a woman who died around 3 a.m. on May 19, 2025, while working on the cream bread production line at the SPC Samlip factory. Authorities say the plant officials failed to ensure basic safety protocols.
According to investigators, the victim died while entering the interior of a spiral cooling conveyor to apply lubricant manually. A forensic analysis by the National Forensic Service found that the machine’s automatic lubrication system had malfunctioned, forcing workers to carry out the task by hand inside the dangerous equipment.
Police previously booked seven plant officials for questioning. Of those, they are now seeking the detention of the aforementioned four whom they deem to bear heavier responsibility. A police official said the suspects, including the plant head and team leader, have tried to shift blame onto the victim and are denying the charges, prompting the decision to seek pretrial detention.
Separately, the Labor Ministry has already booked SPC Samlip CEO Kim Bum-soo for violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act and the head for violating industrial safety law. It has requested a detention warrant only for the head.
A ministry official said the request was based not only on the seriousness of the offense but also on concerns over possible destruction of evidence or flight risk and was made in consultation with prosecutors.
Police added that CEO Kim was excluded from the detention request as he does not manage the Siheung facility directly.
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 CHOI MO-RAN [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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