South Korea’s Ministry of Employment and Labor has disclosed 37 workplaces where criminal sentences related to serious industrial accidents became final during the first half of 2026. The cases involved 39 responsible managers, but only one received an immediate prison sentence. Thirty-five received suspended prison terms, one received a suspended prison term and a fine, and two were fined, according to the ministry’s October 15 announcement.

The disclosure provides a concrete measure of how the Serious Accidents Punishment Act is being enforced after workplace deaths and injuries. Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that 38 people died and four were injured at the 37 workplaces. The ministry said the list includes the heaviest final sentence imposed since the law took effect, an immediate three-year prison term.

Final sentences reveal a wide enforcement gap

Another listed workplace had multiple casualties and produced the first case in which a responsible manager was detained and indicted, according to the ministry. The final ruling in that case was 18 months in prison, suspended for three years. The disclosure also includes a workplace where a worker fell while operating on a 1.2-meter mobile scaffold without basic protective equipment. Work resumed without adequate measures, and the worker died the following day.

The ministry has published these disclosures every six months since September 2023 after receiving notice that sentences have become final. It previously disclosed three workplaces for 2023, 12 for 2024 and 29 for 2025. With the latest 37, the cumulative number of disclosed workplaces has reached 81.

Responsible managers
39 people covered by the finalized cases
Immediate imprisonment
One manager received a prison term without suspension
Cumulative disclosures
81 workplaces disclosed since reporting began in 2023

Across those 81 workplaces, the most common violation concerned checks to identify and correct harmful or dangerous factors. It was found at 75 workplaces, or 92.6 percent. Measures intended to ensure that safety and health managers properly perform their duties were deficient at 62 workplaces, or 76.5 percent. Most workplaces violated several requirements: 31 had three violations, 15 had two, another 15 had four, 14 had five and five had at least six.

The publication matters directly to workers at high-risk sites because the recurring violations concern the systems meant to detect danger before an accident occurs and ensure that assigned safety officials can act effectively. Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon said firm safety awareness and action by executives responsible for overall business management are essential to workplace safety. He said the ministry would combine accident-prevention consulting for smaller companies with strict investigations of workplaces where serious accidents occur. Future disclosures will show whether enforcement produces more immediate prison terms and whether repeated failures in hazard checks begin to decline.