Deaths that occur during "voluntary" nightshift should be acknowledged as industrial incidents and should be compensated for, a court ruled Wednesday.

According to the Seoul Administrative Court, a man identified as Park died after having run night shifts at a car accessory plant for more than five weeks in a row. The widow asked the government for compensation, but her request was rejected because he had volunteered.

The court said, "The company should have warned him of possible side effects and asked him to go home."

bjs@koreatimes.co.kr