Worker Assault Death 'Shinsegae911' Confirmed for Habitual Assault and Wage Arrears

Ministry of Employment Special Inspection... 11 Labor Law Violations Detected
Special Inspections Ongoing at 2 Workplaces with Social Controversies

Exterior view of the Ministry of Employment and Labor building in Sejong Special Self-Governing City. (Photo by Asia Economy DB)

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 18th that a special inspection of the emergency patient transport company 'Shinsegae 911,' where the employer assaulted a worker and left them unattended leading to death last December, uncovered 11 violations of labor-related laws, including habitual assault of workers and wage arrears.

This special inspection was conducted in accordance with the '2021 Comprehensive Labor Inspection Plan,' which stipulates that workplaces causing social controversy due to assault, habitual verbal abuse, workplace harassment, sexual harassment, etc., against workers will be subject to special inspections without exception.

The special inspection of Shinsegae 911 in Gimhae, Gyeongnam, was carried out over a month from the 7th of last month to the 10th of this month. The employer, Mr. Kim, is currently in custody.

The special inspection revealed a total of 11 violations of labor-related laws, including assault on other workers, forced labor, and wage arrears.

It was confirmed that employer Mr. Kim habitually assaulted other workers besides the worker who died from the assault.

It was also confirmed that the deceased worker was forced to write an IOU under the pretext of an emergency rescue vehicle accident and was compelled to work under CCTV surveillance.

Additionally, workers were paid wages below the minimum wage, and statutory allowances such as overtime, night, and holiday work allowances were not properly paid, resulting in wage arrears of over 320 million won to 37 current and former workers over the past three years.

There were multiple violations of labor-related laws, including failure to prepare employment contracts.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor plans to conduct supplementary investigations on seven criminal offenses confirmed during the special inspection, including assault, forced labor, and wage arrears, and will forward the entire case to the prosecution. Four cases of fines will also be promptly processed.

Besides Shinsegae 911, the Ministry is conducting special inspections on A Pharmaceutical and B-gun Disabled Welfare Center, which caused social controversy due to assault and workplace harassment of workers.

Park Jongpil, head of the Labor Inspection Policy Division at the Ministry of Employment and Labor, stated, "Special inspections will be conducted without exception on workplaces that cause social controversy due to assault, workplace harassment, sexual harassment, etc., against workers, as in the case of Shinsegae 911."

Park emphasized, "We plan to actively publicize the results of special inspections to prevent similar violations from occurring and to raise social awareness so that it can serve as an opportunity for legal compliance."

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