'Worker Death' Hyundai Steel Dangjin Plant Raided... CEO Booked Under Serious Accident Punishment Act

Hyundai Steel Dangjin Steelworks Cold Rolling Plant 1 accident site in Dangjin-si, Chungnam [Image source=Yonhap News]

The Ministry of Employment and Labor has conducted a search and seizure operation targeting Hyundai Steel Dangjin Plant, where a worker fatality occurred.

The Ministry announced that, in cooperation with the police, it began search and seizure operations at four locations starting around 9 a.m. on the 7th: Hyundai Steel Dangjin Plant, Seoul Office, Seoul Sales Office, and the West Building of Hyundai Kia Motors headquarters.

Regarding this incident, the Ministry filed charges against the CEO of Hyundai Steel on the 3rd for violating the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. The Safety and Health General Manager of the Blast Furnace Division at the Dangjin Plant was charged on the 2nd for violating the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor explained, "Through this search and seizure, we plan to verify whether the Safety and Health General Manager violated the safety measures obligations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act and whether the management violated the safety and health assurance obligations under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act."

Earlier, on the 2nd, a worker A (57) died after falling into a large container (plating pot) inside the Hyundai Steel Dangjin Plant in Dangjin-si, Chungnam, where the internal temperature reached 460 degrees Celsius.

According to the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, which came into effect on January 27, if a serious industrial accident occurs at workplaces with 50 or more regular employees (or construction sites with a project amount of 5 billion KRW or more), the business owner or management responsible for safety and health assurance obligations can be punished.

Meanwhile, on the 5th, another accident occurred at Hyundai Steel Yesan Plant in Yesan, Chungnam, where a subcontractor worker was crushed to death by a steel frame structure.

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