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🇰🇷 South Korea /Crime & Justice

Memorial Held for Young Worker Killed in HL Mando Industrial Accident

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • A memorial service was held in Seoul for Kim Seung-mo, a 28-year-old subcontracted worker who died in an industrial accident at HL Mando's Pyeongtaek factory on July 22.
  • The committee organizing the service criticized the government's lack of action on repeated worker fatalities and demanded an end to the "outsourcing of danger."
  • The victim's mother attended the service, pleading for an end to similar deaths, while the committee accused HL Mando of neglecting safety measures and refusing to negotiate with the family.

A memorial service was held in front of the Blue House Love House in Seoul for Kim Seung-mo, a subcontracted worker who died tragically at the HL Mando Pyeongtaek factory on July 22. Kim, who was 28 years old, was inspecting a faulty parts processing machine when he became trapped between the machine and a wall, resulting in his death.

My son passed away tragically just after his 28th birthday, but deaths like this, which this country could have prevented, must not happen again on industrial sites.

— Kim Seung-mo's motherExpressing her grief and calling for an end to industrial accidents.

The committee for the deceased, which organized the service, strongly criticized the government's response to the ongoing string of worker fatalities. They declared, "The government that declared war on industrial accidents at its inception has no measures for the continuous industrial deaths of workers," and demanded an immediate halt to the "outsourcing of danger."

Kim's mother attended the service, her eyes filled with tears, and pleaded, "My son passed away tragically just after his 28th birthday, but deaths like this, which this country could have prevented, must not happen again on industrial sites." The family has postponed the funeral proceedings until a thorough investigation and responsible actions are taken.

The government that declared war on industrial accidents at its inception has no measures for the continuous industrial deaths of workers.

— Committee for the deceasedCriticizing the government's response to worker safety.

The committee also accused HL Mando of showing no interest in apologizing for the accident or implementing measures to prevent recurrence. They further alleged that HL Mando CEO Cho Sung-hyun has refused to engage in negotiations with the bereaved family. According to the National Metalworkers Union, the machine involved in the accident lacked a safety interlock device.

We demand an immediate halt to the 'outsourcing of danger.'

— Committee for the deceasedHighlighting the issue of subcontracting dangerous work.
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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