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Labor groups call for investigation into Vietnamese worker's death at Gyeonggi gravel processing plant

Published: 13 Mar. 2026, 19:49

The Icheon Police Precinct in Icheon, Gyeonggi [YONHAP]

A Vietnamese worker at a gravel processing plant in Icheon, Gyeonggi, died on Tuesday from severe bleeding caused by multiple injuries, preliminary autopsy results showed on Friday.

The finding came from the National Forensic Service (NFS) after an autopsy was conducted on the body of the worker on Thursday, according to the Icheon Police Precinct on Friday.

Police plan to transfer the case to a Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency team responsible for major industrial accidents.

Under current rules, industrial accidents that result in at least one death or injuries requiring more than six months of treatment for two or more people are investigated by police units dedicated to looking into major industrial accidents.

The worker died at a gravel processing plant in Hobeop-myeon, Icheon, at about 2:40 a.m. on Tuesday. The worker was in charge of managing the operation of a conveyor belt system.

Authorities believe the accident occurred after the conveyor belt became overloaded. When the worker entered beneath a large conveyor belt machine to inspect the issue, he became trapped, but the belt reportedly continued operating.

The worker had entered Korea under the employment permit system and had been working at the gravel plant for approximately two years. He regularly sent money to family members in Vietnam, authorities said.

Trucks are seen in front of a gravel processing plant in Anyang, Gyeonggi, on March 28, 2022, in this photo unrelated to the story. [NEWS1]

Labor and civic groups, including the Gyeonggi branch of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and a regional solidarity for migrant workers, held a news conference in front of the Gyeonggi District Employment and Labor Office on Thursday. The groups called for a thorough investigation into the accident and a special labor inspection of the workplace.

The accident was “a tragedy created by dangerous work orders and a neglected working environment,” the groups said in a statement.

They also claimed that industrial accidents had occurred frequently at the site in the past but were not properly reported and that cases related to workers’ treatment and compensation had been avoided or concealed.

“Migrant workers’ workplaces are often where risks are concentrated, but their safety and rights are pushed to the back,” the statement said.

The groups demanded a thorough investigation, punishment of those responsible, a special inspection of the workplace, the cancellation of the employer’s hiring permit and psychological support for the worker’s colleagues.

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]]