"Apology for Yeosu Intern Death Incident" Yu Eun-hye Bows Head on 3rd Anniversary of Inauguration

Apology Regarding Death of Yeosu Specialized High School Intern
"Joint Investigation Team to Review Responsibilities of Ministry of Education and Education Office"
Emphasis on 'Safety' in Specialized High School Field Training and Employment

"I feel an immense sense of responsibility."

On the 12th, Yoo Eun-hye, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, expressed this sentiment while apologizing to the family of Hong Jeong-woon, who died during an internship, at a press conference marking her third anniversary in office. Hong, a third-year student at a specialized high school in Yeosu, died while performing diving work to remove shells and barnacles attached to the bottom of a yacht during an internship at a yacht company. The diving work was not specified in the standard agreement, and although the Industrial Safety and Health Act’s special provisions require protection of interns from industrial safety and health hazards, the company failed to comply. Minister Yoo stated, "It is unacceptable that an intern was given work instructions without proper training."

Before Hong, Lee Min-ho, also a third-year high school student, died on November 9, 2017, after being caught in a press machine during an internship at a factory in Jeju City. Since 2018, the government has implemented the ‘learning-centered internship’ policy, linking educational curricula with practical subjects. Reflecting criticisms that internship and employment conditions were too stringent, the selection process for leading companies (companies participating in internships with employment guarantees) was relaxed starting in 2019.

Minister Yoo said, "We established the internship system after gathering opinions from specialized high school students and teachers, so it is regrettable that fatal accidents have occurred." She added, "We need to verify whether the system designed to ensure safety actually functioned on-site, and whether the education offices and Ministry of Education fulfilled their responsibilities in inspection and management as the responsible departments." The Ministry of Education plans to form a joint investigation team with education offices, industrial safety inspectors, and labor attorneys to conduct a fact-finding investigation.

Minister Yoo, who took office in October 2018, marked her third anniversary on the 2nd of this month. She is the longest-serving Minister of Education since the civilian government. At the event reflecting on her three years in office, instead of celebrating, she said, "We have been supplementing and expanding specialized high school internship and employment policies every year," emphasizing, "Safety was always the top priority, but the basics were not upheld." With a trembling voice, she also said, "I am compelled to ask fundamental questions about why such incidents keep happening."

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