Fatal workplace accidents remain alarmingly high for foreign workers

A man works at a construction site in Seoul, Aug. 11. Despite ongoing safety initiatives, fatal industrial accidents involving foreign workers remain persistently high, data showed Thursday. Yonhap

Despite ongoing safety initiatives, fatal industrial accidents involving foreign workers remain persistently high, data showed Thursday.

According to a report published by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, 287 workers died in workplace accidents in Korea during the second quarter of this year. Of them, 38, or 13.2 percent, were foreign nationals.

Officials say the figure reflects a troubling pattern in recent years.

Noncitizens, who make up roughly 3.5 percent of the workforce, consistently account for about 10 percent of all occupational deaths.

Graphic by Cho Sang-won

By industry, the construction sector had 138 deaths, with foreign workers accounting for 13 percent. In manufacturing, 67 deaths were reported, including 12 foreign nationals (17.9 percent). Other sectors recorded 82 deaths, including eight foreign nationals (9.8 percent).

The 287 workplace deaths confirmed from April to June represented a slight improvement from the 296 reported during the same period in 2024.

Yet a closer look reveals a persistent problem.

Data from the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service, released earlier this week by Rep. Kim Wi-sang of the conservative People Power Party, revealed that annual workplace fatalities among Korean nationals fell from 1,415 in 2020 to 1,236 in 2024. In contrast, deaths among migrant workers remained almost unchanged at 112 in 2020 and 111 in 2024.

One factor is that many foreign workers are employed by small construction and manufacturing firms, where the risk of industrial accidents is high, according to Son Pil-hoon, director-general of the ministry’s occupational accident prevention division.

“The industries where many foreign workers are employed are small-scale manufacturing, construction sites and agriculture. Because many of these workplaces have more hazardous environments than many others, they are exposed to a lot of danger,” Son told reporters at Tuesday’s briefing. “We provide safety education in workers’ native languages before they arrive in Korea, and we try to use more visual aids and interpreters for workplaces above a certain size. Still, the problem is hard to solve, and more must be done.”

Of all fatalities, workplaces with fewer than 50 employees saw 176 deaths, an increase of 21 deaths in comparison with the same period last year. Meanwhile, workplaces with 50 or more employees had 111 deaths, a decrease of 30 deaths.

Police, firefighters and officials at Korea Railroad Corp. inspect the site of a fatal train accident in Cheongdo, North Gyeongsang Province, Tuesday. Yonhap

These figures come as Korea mourns multiple tragedies. On Tuesday in Cheongdo, North Gyeongsang Province, two railway workers were killed and five others injured by a Mugunghwa train. Speaking to lawmakers at the National Assembly on Wednesday, Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon publicly apologized for the incident and vowed to redouble efforts to make workplaces safer for all workers. The following day, Han Moon-hee, CEO of Korea Railroad Corp., offered his resignation.

This occurred shortly after an accident at a POSCO E&C highway construction site, where a worker from Myanmar in his 30s suffered serious electrical burns on Aug. 4. The man regained consciousness on Aug. 12 and is now recovering quickly.

To reduce work-related accidents, the ministry said it is preparing a “comprehensive plan for labor safety” by forming a consultative body with relevant ministries.

In addition, the ministry is collaborating with related agencies to promote a safety-oriented social atmosphere by disseminating 12 key safety rules to prevent industrial accidents.

“We will continue to meticulously monitor and support high-risk workplaces and do our utmost to reduce serious accidents as much as possible,” Son said.