President Lee Publicly Praises Minister Kim Younghoon for Record-Low Industrial Accident Fatalities: "Efforts That Saved Hundreds"

253 Fatalities in the First Half, Down by 34 from Last Year
"Fortunate and Thankful ... Still Too Many Deaths, Must Reduce Further"
Marked Decline in Construction and Small Businesses ... Manufacturing Deaths Up 37%

President Lee Jae-myung publicly commended Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Young-hoon on July 15 for the fact that the number of industrial accident fatalities in the first half of this year recorded the lowest figure since related statistics began. However, President Lee also pointed out, "Still, too many people are dying," urging for even greater efforts to reduce fatalities at industrial sites.

President Lee Jae-myung is visiting the Blue House Press Hall on the 15th and holding a meeting with reporters. 2026.7.15 Yonhap News Photo by Yonhap

On this day, President Lee shared the news of the decrease in industrial accident fatalities in the first half of the year on X (formerly Twitter), stating, "It is fortunate. You did well. Thank you." He added, "The efforts of a single minister, Kim Young-hoon, have saved hundreds of lives," and highly praised Minister Kim's policies for industrial accident prevention and on-site supervision. Nevertheless, President Lee emphasized that "we still need to reduce the number further," stating, "Still, too many people are dying."

According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the number of workplace accident fatalities subject to investigation in the first half of this year was 253, a decrease of 34 people (11.8%) from 287 during the same period last year. This is the lowest first-half figure and the largest decline since related statistics started being recorded in 2022. First-half fatalities were 320 in 2022, 289 in 2023, 296 in 2024, and 287 last year.

The decrease was particularly noticeable among small businesses that are vulnerable in terms of safety management. Fatalities at workplaces with fewer than 50 employees declined from 176 in the first half of last year to 146 this year, a reduction of 30 people (17.0%). At very small businesses with fewer than five employees, the number dropped from 88 to 67, a decrease of 21 people (23.9%).

By industry, fatalities in the construction sector fell from 138 to 105, a decrease of 33 people (23.9%). In contrast, manufacturing saw fatalities increase by 25 people (37.3%), from 67 to 92, as major accidents continued, such as the fire at Daejeon Industrial and the explosion at the Daejeon facility of Hanwha Aerospace. While overall fatalities have dropped, fire and explosion accidents in manufacturing remain critical vulnerabilities.

Since taking office, President Lee has made reducing industrial accidents a core national policy goal and has demanded strong measures from both companies and relevant ministries. Last July, Minister Kim also declared at a cabinet meeting that he would "stake his position" if he failed to bring down industrial accident fatalities, and President Lee responded by calling for a responsible response, stating, "If you can't reduce them, truly put your position on the line."

Last year, there were 605 workplace accident fatalities subject to investigation, which was an increase of 16 people compared to the previous year. However, this year, the number dropped by 24 people in the first quarter, to 113, compared with the same period last year, and the downward trend continued through the first half of the year.

The government plans to strengthen supervision in the second half of the year, focusing on falls, fires and explosions in manufacturing, and suffocation accidents in confined spaces. For businesses where the same types of industrial accidents are repeated, the government will conduct intensive supervision, including at the headquarters, and will expand administrative and legal measures if violations of safety regulations are discovered.

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