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🇰🇷 South Korea /Crime & Justice

‘I’m going to be a dad in two weeks’… Why did the 26-year-old worker in a half-cast drive without a license?

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • A 26-year-old forklift operator died after being crushed by his vehicle in a basement parking lot in Jeju, South Korea.
  • The worker, who was reportedly wearing a half-cast on his knee and was unlicensed to operate the forklift, was trying to pick up corn that had fallen from the load.
  • The incident occurred while the worker was on a temporary contract and preparing for a permanent position, with his wife due to give birth in two weeks.

A tragic accident has claimed the life of a 26-year-old forklift operator, Kim Young-gyun, who was crushed by his vehicle in the basement parking lot of a Hanaro Mart in Jeju, South Korea. The incident occurred on June 19th, and Kim was pronounced dead at the hospital two hours later.

The parking lot's entrance and exit for customers were shared with the route forklifts used to transport goods from the underground storage to the ground floor. This setup created a stressful environment for forklift operators, who had to be mindful of customer vehicles.

According to the deceased's father-in-law, Kim had stopped his electric forklift to pick up corn that had fallen from his load. He was then seen chasing after the vehicle as it began to slide downhill. The forklift eventually crashed into a wall and overturned, trapping Kim underneath.

You should have just left the forklift alone. You should have avoided it.

— Kim Young-gyun's fatherThe father of the deceased worker expressed his grief and regret over the circumstances of his son's death.

Adding to the tragedy, Kim reportedly lacked a forklift operating license. His family claims the mart was aware of this but still assigned him the task, as he felt he couldn't refuse the work to keep his job. He had started working at the mart as a contract employee in August and was due for a contract review in August, with hopes of securing a permanent position. He was also reportedly working with a half-cast on his knee, having injured it while exercising, but continued to work to save his leave for the upcoming birth of his child.

Kim's wife was about two weeks away from her due date, scheduled for July 5th. The expectant father did not get to meet his child. The Hanaro Mart manager and the Jeju regional head of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation have apologized to the family and are scheduled to meet them again. The Ministry of Labor is investigating potential violations of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act, while police are looking into charges of professional negligence resulting in death.

Mom, if I don't drive the forklift, I can't work at the company.

— Kim Young-gyunThe deceased worker explained to his mother why he had to operate the forklift despite lacking a license.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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