Samsung Electronics is reported to have concealed three industrial accidents that occurred at the Gwangju establishment from 2018 to 2020. Previously, the employment authorities investigated the Samsung Electronics Gwangju establishment in 2020, forwarded the case to the prosecution for alleged violations of the Industrial Safety and Health Act, and the court recently confirmed the ruling.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced the list of 468 establishments that violated industrial accident prevention duties, including the Samsung Electronics Gwangju establishment, on the 19th. The Ministry of Labor annually discloses the number of industrial accidents occurring in establishments specified by presidential decree according to the Industrial Safety and Health Act.
The establishments disclosed by the Ministry of Labor on this day have had their violations of the Industrial Safety and Health Act confirmed through judicial bodies. Specifically, these include establishments where two or more fatal accidents occurred, the industrial accident death rate per 10,000 workers is above the average for similar scales and industries, major industrial accidents occurred, and cases where industrial accidents were concealed or not reported more than twice in the past three years, among others.
By type of violation, establishments with a high industrial accident death rate were the most at 372. This is followed by concealment of industrial accidents (13 establishments) and failure to report industrial accidents (18 establishments) totaling 31, major industrial accidents (13 establishments), and occurrences of two or more fatal accidents (10 establishments).
Among major corporations, three cases of industrial accident concealment were detected at the Samsung Electronics Gwangju establishment. The concealment of industrial accidents reportedly occurred once annually from 2018 through 2019 and 2020. The Gwangju establishment is known for producing mainly heavy electronics such as refrigerators and washing machines. Due to this, the Samsung Electronics Gwangju establishment labor union has continuously raised suspicions that the company has been involved in multiple instances of industrial accident concealment. Previously, Samsung Electronics paid a total of 400 million won in fines for violating industrial accident reporting obligations at the Gwangju establishment in 2020.
In addition, GS Caltex, which resulted in two injuries due to an explosion accident at the Yeosu plant last year, and LG Display, with a high share of subcontractor accident deaths, were listed in the establishments disclosed by the Ministry of Labor.
Minister Kim Moon-soo of the Ministry of Labor said, "I hope this disclosure serves as an opportunity for all establishments to once again become aware of safety," adding, "The government will also do its utmost to reduce fatal accidents."