CJ Logistics criticized for death of part-timer
CJ Logistics CEO Park Keun-tae
By Park Jae-hyuk
CJ Logistics is facing public criticism for the death of a college student, who died after sustaining an electric shock while working as a part-timer at a logistics center run by its subcontractor in Daejeon.
According to the Daejeon Daedeok Police Station, Friday, the part-time worker surnamed Kim became unconscious Aug. 6, after getting shocked under a conveyor belt in the logistics center. He was immediately moved to a nearby hospital by rescue workers, but died Thursday night.
The 23-year-old, who fulfilled his military duty in May, was preparing to return to his college in the city.
A video recording of the accident showed Kim crawling under the conveyor belt to clean the place. When one of Kim's colleagues attempted to help him after he collapsed under the conveyor belt, the colleague also got shocked, but survived.
Kim's father blamed the logistics center's full-time employees for the accident, saying he was told by his son that none of the employees mentioned the risk of injuries from electric shocks.
A CJ Logistics spokesman said his company has yet to decide whether to compensate Kim's family for the victim's death, although he added, “CJ Logistics feels ethical responsibility, so we will do our best for the bereaved family.”
The passive attitude toward the accident has drawn sharp criticism from politicians.
The left-wing Minjung Party criticized CJ Group's logistics arm for shifting its responsibility for the death to the subcontractor.
“We will investigate the cause of the recent accident,” Kim Sun-kyoung of the Minjung Party said in a statement. “We urge CJ Logistics to apologize to the victim's family.”
The minor opposition Justice Party also criticized the company for avoiding its responsibility.
“The young worker, who had to do intense labor amid the scorching heat, was not informed of how to protect himself, and this led to the tragic accident,” it said in a statement. “However, the company is trying to avoid its responsibility, saying it is unprecedented.”
The police are interrogating the logistics center's supervisor and Kim's colleagues to find out the cause of the accident.
The Daejon Regional Employment and Labor Administration is also inspecting the logistics center, after issuing a temporary suspension order on the center.
The government agency said it would probe the logistics center Friday and next Monday. It also visited the venue on the day of the accident.