As rescue work for a worker trapped inside a Navy submarine after a fire at the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Ulsan shipyard entered a second day, the company corrected its disclosure to list the worker as deceased.
According to HD Hyundai Heavy Industries on the 10th, the company initially disclosed the woman in her 60s, identified as A, who was trapped inside the submarine during the fire the previous day, as injured, but within a day issued a corrected disclosure on the occurrence of a serious industrial accident to list her as deceased.
When an industrial accident occurs, the employer must report the relevant facts to the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL). In particular, if it is deemed a serious accident, immediate reporting and disclosure obligations follow. The company said this correction was made in line with those procedures.
However, controversy remains over the timing of the disclosure. At the time, fire authorities had made no clear progress in rescue operations into the second day, and there had been no official determination of death for A. Typically, a determination of death is made by a physician, who issues a death certificate after confirmation.
According to industry sources, the corrected disclosure listing the death by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries was based on the judgment of the Ulsan branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL). The Ulsan branch reportedly heard on site from the fire rescue unit that A was presumed dead, drafted a serious accident occurrence report based on that, and reported it to headquarters. The company then revised the disclosure from injured to deceased.
This case also suggests that on-site rescue conditions, the initial assessment by administrative authorities, and the medical procedure for determining death may not fully align. Because the death disclosure came before actual rescue and recovery were completed, debate is likely to continue over the accident reporting system and the criteria for initial determinations.