Seventeen people died in farm machinery accidents in South Gyeongsang Province last year, tying North Gyeongsang for the highest total among South Korean provinces. The figure rose from 11 deaths in 2024, an increase of six people or 54.5 percent. The data were submitted by NongHyup Life to National Assembly member Seo Sam-seok, chair of the Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee.
The increase comes as rural communities face an aging population and continued use of older machinery. The available evidence identifies operating mistakes and equipment defects as risks in this setting, particularly when older farmers use aging machines. It does not establish how many of the 17 deaths were caused by either factor, but it shows that the human cost has grown sharply in one year.
The policy response has moved in the opposite direction. A government program intended to support the scrapping or safety modification of old tillers was left out of the following year's budget proposal. That omission means the central government plan to remove older tillers from farms or make them safer was not reflected in the budget despite the high death toll recorded in South Gyeongsang.
The figures place equipment replacement and modification at the center of the local safety debate. Continued support would be relevant to older farmers using worn machinery, while policymakers will need to clarify whether the program can be restored and how the province's rising fatalities will be addressed. The next budget decision and any details of replacement or modification assistance will show whether the reported increase produces a concrete safety response.