663 Workers Recognized as Overwork-Related Industrial Accident Victims Over 3 Years, but No Employers Punished

1,992 Applications for Overwork-Related Deaths... Only One in Three Approved
Unlike Accidental Workplace Deaths, Overwork Cases Leave a Punishment Gap

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In the past three years, 663 workers have been officially recognized as victims of industrial accidents caused by overwork, but not a single employer has faced criminal prosecution in relation to these cases.

There are growing calls to address the systemic blind spot that prevents holding employers legally accountable, even when workers lose their lives due to extreme workloads.

According to data submitted by Assemblyman Lee Hak-young's office of the Democratic Party of Korea to the Ministry of Employment and Labor on May 24, the number of suspected industrial accident applications linked to overwork from 2023 to February this year totaled 1,992. Of these, only 663 cases (33.3%) were officially recognized as industrial accidents, meaning just one out of every three applicants received approval.

Recognition of an industrial accident is finalized by the Occupational Disease Review Committee of the Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service when it is determined that excessive workload or long hours are related to the worker's death.

However, even when a worker’s death is acknowledged as caused by overwork, the employer who directed the work is not subject to any punishment.

Out of the 663 recognized cases, there have been zero instances in which an employer was referred to the prosecution for indictment or was fined.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor explained, "In cases where death results from cardiovascular diseases and similar causes, there is no regulatory provision under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, so the cases are closed."

While accidental deaths resulting from falls or being caught in machinery lead to immediate investigations and punishment under the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, overwork-related deaths are not investigated as potential violations of the Labor Standards Act, such as working hours.

For this reason, critics point out that employers do not feel compelled to improve working conditions, even when workers die due to excessive work and long working hours.

Accordingly, there is a growing need to improve the system, such as establishing a comprehensive supervisory framework that includes violations of the Labor Standards Act during labor inspections.

Vice Speaker Lee Hak-young stated, "It is a clear institutional gap that there are no regulatory provisions despite overwork-related deaths being recognized as industrial accidents," adding, "There is an urgent need to develop effective institutional measures to prevent deaths from overwork."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.