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Korea Herald
4 days ago
- Korea Herald
Banker's death caused by stress from new duties: court
Court rules that man who died of heart attack was overworked, under extreme stress at the office A South Korean court has ruled that the death of a bank employee was work-related, caused by excessive stress from his new assignment. The Seoul Administrative Court ordered the state-run Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service (K-Comwell) to pay full benefits to the bereaved family and reimburse them for funeral expenses, ruling in favor of the family, who filed a lawsuit last year. The man, who was 38 years old when he died, had been working at a local bank since 2012 and was assigned to review corporate loans in January 2023. He reportedly was under extreme stress from his new duties, and was found dead inside his car at a golf resort in March that year. The cause of death was a heart attack. The parents of the deceased had requested survivor's benefits stipulated by the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act, which are paid to surviving family members of workers who die due to causes related to their duties. But in January 2024, K-Comwell decided not to pay the benefits or funeral costs, saying there was not a strong enough link between the man's death and his duties. However, in its ruling, the court said, "It should be regarded that overwork and work-related stress had contributed to or at least exacerbated the progression of the acute myocardial infarction, leading to his death ... (The deceased) had turned down requests for five corporate loans just before he died, and his colleague's testimony suggests that the process had inflicted severe stress." K-Comwel denied that the deceased had worked excessively, pointing out that the computer he used at work showed that he had logged in for 46 hours a week on average in the 12 weeks leading up to his death. Legal working hours in Korea are 40 hours a week, with up to 12 hours of overtime per week. But the court pointed out that employees of the bank had frequently used their personal computers for work outside the office, saying it was likely that the man's actual working hours during those 12 weeks had surpassed the 52 hours legally allowed. Even if the deceased had underlying physical conditions, the court said work-related factors are likely to have accelerated the progression of his condition.
The Star
5 days ago
- Business
- The Star
South Korean's death after three consecutive company drinking sessions ruled work-related
FILE PHOTO: A South Korean man died from acute alcohol intoxication after attending consecutive company gatherings. - ST/ANN SEOUL: A South Korean court has ruled that the death of a worker following three consecutive company-related drinking sessions constitutes a work-related death, local media reported on Aug 3. The Seoul Administrative Court recently ruled in favour of the bereaved family of a worker who died from acute alcohol intoxication after attending consecutive company gatherings. The family had filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service's decision to deny survivor benefits and funeral expenses. The worker, who was in charge of sales management, was found dead in his car in the parking lot of his home at dawn on July 2, 2022. An autopsy determined the cause of death was acute alcohol intoxication from consuming a large amount of alcohol over a short period. It was confirmed that he drank on three consecutive nights from June 29 to July 1 at company events. On June 29, he attended a dinner with a client. The following day, he joined a gathering organised by a senior executive to promote camaraderie among employees. On July 1, he attended a dinner welcoming two newly hired foreign workers assigned to an overseas office. That night's expenses were more than one million won (US$720), exceeding typical company spending, and the participants split the cost. The key legal issue was whether the final gathering constituted a work-related event. The workers' compensation agency argued that it was not an official company event and that the sharing of costs by the participants indicated it was a private occasion. However, the court ruled otherwise, citing the nature of the relationship between the worker and the foreign hires, which required close cooperation. The court also noted that the worker was scheduled for a six-month overseas assignment and needed support from the newcomers. 'The drinking session likely had a strong work-related context, as it was held with the foreign workers to welcome his upcoming assignment abroad,' the ruling stated. 'It would have been difficult for him to refuse drinks under the circumstances, and the cost of one million won was excessive for a purely personal gathering.' - The Korea Herald/ANN
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
South Korean's death after 3 consecutive company drinking sessions ruled work-related
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox SEOUL – A South Korean court has ruled that the death of a worker following three consecutive company-related drinking sessions constitutes a work-related death, local media reported on Aug 3. The Seoul Administrative Court recently ruled in favor of the bereaved family of a worker who died from acute alcohol intoxication after attending consecutive company gatherings. The family had filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service's decision to deny survivor benefits and funeral expenses. The worker, who was in charge of sales management, was found dead in his car in the parking lot of his home at dawn on July 2, 2022. An autopsy determined the cause of death was acute alcohol intoxication from consuming a large amount of alcohol over a short period. It was confirmed that he drank on three consecutive nights from June 29 to July 1 at company events. On June 29, he attended a dinner with a client. The following day, he joined a gathering organized by a senior executive to promote camaraderie among employees. On July 1, he attended a dinner welcoming two newly hired foreign workers assigned to an overseas office. That night's expenses were more than 1 million won (S$926), exceeding typical company spending, and the participants split the cost. The key legal issue was whether the final gathering constituted a work-related event. The workers' compensation agency argued that it was not an official company event and that the sharing of costs by the participants indicated it was a private occasion. However, the court ruled otherwise, citing the nature of the relationship between the worker and the foreign hires, which required close cooperation. The court also noted that the worker was scheduled for a six-month overseas assignment and needed support from the newcomers. 'The drinking session likely had a strong work-related context, as it was held with the foreign workers to welcome his upcoming assignment abroad,' the ruling stated. 'It would have been difficult for him to refuse drinks under the circumstances, and the cost of 1 million won was excessive for a purely personal gathering.' THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Korea Herald
5 days ago
- Business
- Korea Herald
Worker's death after 3-straight company drinking sessions ruled work-related
A South Korean court has ruled that the death of a worker following three consecutive company-related drinking sessions constitutes a work-related death, local media reported Sunday. The Seoul Administrative Court recently ruled in favor of the bereaved family of a worker who died from acute alcohol intoxication after attending consecutive company gatherings. The family had filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service's decision to deny survivor benefits and funeral expenses. The worker, who was in charge of sales management, was found dead in his car in the parking lot of his home at dawn on July 2, 2022. An autopsy determined the cause of death was acute alcohol intoxication from consuming a large amount of alcohol over a short period. It was confirmed that he drank on three consecutive nights from June 29 to July 1 at company events. On June 29, he attended a dinner with a client. The following day, he joined a gathering organized by a senior executive to promote camaraderie among employees. On July 1, he attended a dinner welcoming two newly hired foreign workers assigned to an overseas office. That night's expenses were more than 1 million won, exceeding typical company spending, and the participants split the cost. The key legal issue was whether the final gathering constituted a work-related event. The workers' compensation agency argued that it was not an official company event and that the sharing of costs by the participants indicated it was a private occasion. However, the court ruled otherwise, citing the nature of the relationship between the worker and the foreign hires, which required close cooperation. The court also noted that the worker was scheduled for a six-month overseas assignment and needed support from the newcomers. 'The drinking session likely had a strong work-related context, as it was held with the foreign workers to welcome his upcoming assignment abroad,' the ruling stated. 'It would have been difficult for him to refuse drinks under the circumstances, and the cost of 1 million won was excessive for a purely personal gathering.'
Korea Herald
16-07-2025
- Health
- Korea Herald
Death benefit claims for delivery workers in H1 near 2024's full-year total
10 applications filed by bereaved families of delivery workers in first six months of this year Bereaved families of express delivery service workers in South Korea filed 10 applications for government death benefits in the first half of 2025, just two cases short of the 12 submitted for the entire year of 2024, according to government data released Wednesday. Of the 10 applications, seven have been approved so far, according to data from the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service obtained and released by the office of Rep. Kim Ui-sang of the People Power Party. Last year, nine of the 12 applications were approved. Under Article 62 of the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act, families of workers whose deaths are attributed to occupational causes may apply for survivors' benefits. Until now, no more than 14 applications for industrial accident-related death benefits have been filed per year between 2020 and 2024. This makes the first half of 2025 one of the deadliest periods in recent years for Korea's package delivery industry, commonly known as taekbae. Of this year's 10 applications, three were related to deaths caused by work-related accidents, matching the total number filed in 2024. All three cases this year were approved, while two of the three applications were approved last year. Six applications were filed for deaths resulting from "occupational diseases," of which three have been approved so far. Occupational disease refers to illnesses directly related to the nature of the job, which for delivery workers commonly involve musculoskeletal issues related to the muscles and skeleton. The remaining application was related to a death that occurred while commuting. Express package delivery service, known as "taekbae" in Korea, has become an essential part of daily life, driven by the widespread use of e-commerce. An October report by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry found that, on average, Koreans used express delivery services about 100 times per person in 2023. But there have also been concerns about the health risks faced by delivery workers, many of whom are overworked. KWCWS data released in September showed that 69.7 percent of package delivery workers' deaths from 2020 to 2022 were due to overwork. "We have to review the current system of industrial safety to see if it provides sufficient protection for those working in the field of e-commerce, from factors like extreme heat due to unusual weather and excessive workload," Rep. Kim said. In terms of total industrial accidents in the express package delivery field in the first half of 2025, 757 applications for compensation were filed, and 680 were approved. This is not particularly high compared to 1,556 filed for 2024, with 1,424 approved. But the number of applications for industrial accidents has skyrocketed from 326 in 2020. By far the most common industrial accident for package delivery workers in the first half of the year was accidents; 595 of 627 applications were approved. A total of 86 applications for industrial accidents were filed, with musculoskeletal health issues accounting for 70.
