English translation of the original Korean report. Images and source documents may contain Korean text.

28-year-old subcontracted worker dies inside a ship’s tank… Family says no apology was given · Union says chief executive should be punished

After a 28-year-old subcontracted worker died following an internal ship welding operation led by President Kim Jae-eul of HD Hyundai Sanho, the National Metal Workers’ Union demanded the punishment of the chief executive and a work stoppage order. In the past three years, four workers have died at this workplace, and three of them died after President Kim took office in November 2024.

According to the Metal Workers’ Union on the 6th, during a press conference held at 10:30 a.m. in front of the Mokpo Labor Office of the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the union held the main contractor responsible for the repeated major accidents. The sister of the deceased worker, who attended the press conference, asked, ‘Why did my older brother return as a cold corpse?’ demanding an explanation and apology for the circumstances of the accident. The family expressed that they had not received a responsible apology or clear explanation from the company even after several days of the accident.

The accident occurred on the afternoon of the 3rd at 6:10 PM at the 1st Dock of HD Hyundai Sanho in Yeongam County, Jeollanam-do, inside the AP VOID tank of the S8292 ship under construction. Shin Mo (28, according to the union’s statement), a subcontractor of the internal subcontractor Dahan Industry, was found lying on the wall and collapsed, and was taken to the hospital after receiving CPR. Shin died. Shin had been assigned to welding work using carbon dioxide (CO₂) from 4:00 PM that day, and the union raised the possibility of suffocation, citing the detection of high concentrations of carbon dioxide at the accident site. The exact cause of death is under investigation.

The Metal Workers’ Union claims that Shin was alone inside the tank at the time of the accident and did not have a gas concentration meter. They argue that an investigation is needed to determine whether basic safety measures such as a two-person team system, the assignment of supervisors, and ventilation were properly implemented. According to the union, HD Hyundai Sanho claims that the tank is not considered an enclosed space because it has a small opening. In response, the union argues that the presence of an opening is less important than the risk of hazardous gas accumulation and the actual implementation of safety measures.

■ Three fatal accidents since the appointment of Kim Jae-eul… HD Korea Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering holds 96.65% of the shares

According to materials released by the Metal Workers’ Union, a 22-year-old subcontracted worker died in underwater ship work in May 2024, and in May of last year, a 44-year-old subcontracted worker died after falling into an opening inside a ship’s block. In June of this year, a 40-year-old regular worker died after being hit by a broken mooring rope during ship docking work. With this accident, the number of deaths in the past three years has reached four, three of whom were subcontracted workers. The number of fatal accidents since President Kim took office is three, including one in 2025 and two this year.

HD Hyundai Sanho is a subsidiary of HD Korea Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, which holds 96.65% of the shares. The group’s holding company, HD Hyundai, is the largest shareholder of HD Korea Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, and Chairman Jeong Ki-yeon leads the group’s management. The Metal Workers’ Union criticized the Mokpo Labor Office of the Ministry of Employment and Labor for not issuing a work stoppage order because the cause of the accident has not been determined, and called for an expanded scope of work stoppage for similar work and a comprehensive investigation of the safety and health management system.

The Metal Workers’ Union has demanded that HD Hyundai Sanho re-examine the two-person team system, provide gas concentration meters, improve the emergency rescue system, conduct special safety training, and offer an apology to the family.

The Ministry of Employment urged for swift investigation of the major accident and punishment of those responsible for legal violations, and announced that it will launch actions including a campaign for commuting hours starting from the 9th. HD Hyundai Samho stated through the media that it expresses condolences to the deceased and his family, and will actively cooperate with the investigation by the relevant agencies into the cause of the accident. The cause of the accident and the legal responsibility of the management officials are expected to be clarified through the subsequent investigation.