92 safety, labor violations found at food service firm Ourhome
Summary
The labor ministry found 92 safety and labor violations at Ourhome after inspecting nine plants nationwide following two worker deaths at a plant in Yongin. It plans to refer 13 cases to prosecutors, fine the company 86.3 million won over 37 cases and order corrective action for the remaining 42. The violations included unsafe machinery, inadequate worker training, illegal dispatches and unpaid or underpaid overtime and holiday work. Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon called on Hanwha to make fundamental reforms.
Key Facts
- The inspection identified 53 industrial safety violations and 39 labor-standard violations.
- Some conveyor belts had not undergone safety checks, and six plants had failed to hold or had delayed special training for conveyor belt workers.
- The ministry cited missing covers or protective fences in tofu-making and food-mixing processes, as well as illegal worker dispatches between Ourhome plants and partner companies.
- The two workers died in April 2025 and June 2026 after being caught in machines at an Ourhome plant in Yongin, south of Seoul.
- Ourhome is a Hanwha Group unit that supplies ready-to-eat meals and food ingredients, primarily to companies and schools.
Ourhome's headquarters in Seoul / Yonhap
Ninety-two cases of safety and labor standard violations have been found at food service company Ourhome, the labor ministry said Monday following an inspection prompted by the deaths of two workers at one of the firm's plants.
Of the total violations, 53 cases concerned industrial safety, while 39 were related to labor standards, the ministry said after inspecting nine Ourhome plants nationwide.
In response, the ministry said it plans to send 13 cases to the prosecution for potential indictment and slap a fine of 86.3 million won ($63,800) over 37 cases. Corrective action has been ordered for the remaining 42 incidents.
The violations included continuing the use of conveyor belts that had not undergone safety checks, not holding or belatedly holding special training classes for conveyor belt workers at six of the nine plants, and failing to install covers or protective fences as part of tofu-making or food mixing processes.
There were also cases of illegal worker dispatches between Ourhome's plants and partner companies, and workers being not paid or underpaid for overtime or holiday work, according to the ministry.
The two killed workers died in April 2025 and June 2026, respectively, after both were caught in machines at an Ourhome plant in Yongin, just south of Seoul.
Ourhome, a unit of conglomerate Hanwha Group, is a leading supplier of ready-to-eat meals and food ingredients, primarily serving companies and schools.
Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon demanded "fundamental reforms" from Hanwha, saying repeated fatal accidents and the discovery of multiple safety and labor standard violations at its units, including Ourhome and Hanwha Aerospace, showed the company was failing to fulfill its social responsibilities.
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