Human Rights Commission Says Fatal Fall Was Not a Violation of the Right to Life

A Vietnamese worker who fell to his death during an immigration enforcement operation in Daegu has been at the center of a dispute over the state’s duty to protect life. The National Human Rights Commission rejected his family’s petition, saying the evidence did not establish a direct causal link between the operation and his death.

In October 2025, immigration officials entered a factory. The 25-year-old man, identified as Tuan, hid in a third-floor outdoor air-conditioner storage area while trying to avoid the inspection. He was later found dead after falling from the building. He had sent a friend messages saying that he was having difficulty breathing and was very afraid, and had been working at the factory for about two weeks.

The family argued that the enforcement operation violated his right to life. The investigation found that the building’s structure presented a significant safety risk and that safety personnel had not been properly deployed. Investigators also expressed the view that the death would not have occurred without an excessive operation. The government’s Daegu immigration office apologized to the family, and the death was recognized as an industrial accident.

The commission nevertheless dismissed the petition shortly before the first anniversary of the death. Its stated reasoning was that the enforcement team had withdrawn and about 20 minutes had passed before the fall, making a direct causal connection difficult to recognize. The commission also said it had not confirmed that officers chased Tuan or used physical force against him.

The decision did not end the commission’s criticism of enforcement practices. It recommended that the justice minister move away from inspection policies centered on catching people at worksites and strengthen preventive measures so that life and physical safety are not endangered. The family’s lawyer said the case should have been assessed through the safety risks created during the operation, rather than through the stricter standard used to determine criminal responsibility.