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Taean Thermal Power Plant takes life of yet another worker

Published: 02 Jun. 2025, 20:11 Updated: 02 Jun. 2025, 20:57

The Taean Thermal Power Plant in South Chungcheong [JOONGANG ILBO]

Another worker has died at the Taean Thermal Power Plant in South Chungcheong — the same facility where 25-year-old Kim Yong-gyun, a non-regular subcontracted worker, was killed nearly six years ago.

According to Taean Police Precinct and the Ministry of Employment and Labor on Monday, a 50-year-old subcontracted worker — also surnamed Kim — was fatally caught in machinery around 2:30 p.m. at the maintenance building for Units 9 and 10 inside the Taean Thermal Power Plant operated by Korea Western Power (Kowepo) in Wonbuk-myeon, Taean County, South Chungcheong.

Kim had been operating a lathe on the first floor of the mechanical workshop when his clothing reportedly became entangled in the equipment.

“The sound of the lathe machine seemed strange and upon checking, Kim was found dead,” a site manager and another worker who were present reported to police.

Union slams 'sub-subcontractor' treatment

Police and labor authorities have secured the work log and surveillance footage from the scene and are investigating officials from Kowepo and subcontracting firms to determine the exact cause of the accident.

Authorities have issued a suspension of operations at the site and are reviewing whether to apply the Serious Accidents Punishment Act to Kowepo, the primary contractor; Korea Plant Service & Engineering (KPS), the secondary contractor; and Kim’s employer, a second-tier subcontractor — the subcontractor of the subcontractor.

Although Kim was not a union member, the union has announced its intention to actively participate in the investigation. The union representing non-regular workers at KPS has demanded confirmation of whether the two-person team principle was followed. They argue that second-tier subcontractors often suffer from budget shortages that prevent adequate staffing.

The mother of 25-year-old Kim Yong-gyun, a non-regular subcontracted worker who died at the Taean Thermal Power Plant in South Chungcheong on Dec. 11, 2018, holds a statue of her son set up outside the plant on Dec. 7, 2021. [YONHAP]

Was this preventable?

A union official stated, “As a colleague who worked alongside the deceased, I offer my condolences and extend sympathies to the bereaved family,” adding, “We will do our part to determine the exact cause of the accident and help ensure measures are taken to prevent a recurrence.”

This is the first worker fatality at the Taean plant since December 2018, when a young worker, Kim Yong-gyun, was killed after being caught in a coal conveyor belt between Units 9 and 10. At the time, Kim was a non-regular worker employed by Korea Engineering and Power Service, a subcontractor of Kowepo.

He was found dead in the early morning hours of Dec. 11 after being last seen walking alone to the site around 10:20 p.m. the previous night. Although the two-person team rule was in place, Kim had been working alone.

The mother of 25-year-old Kim Yong-gyun, a non-regular subcontracted worker who died at the Taean Thermal Power Plant in South Chungcheong on Dec. 11, 2018, gives a speech at a commemoration event held in central Seoul on Dec. 9, 2023. [NEWS1]

The law must have effect

Kim Yong-gyun’s death prompted a complete overhaul of the Occupational Safety and Health Act — its first in 28 years. The revised law, known colloquially as the “Kim Yong-gyun Act,” was passed on Dec. 27, 2018, and officially promulgated through a Cabinet meeting.

Aimed at preventing the so-called “outsourcing of death,” the law mandates strict limitations on hazardous tasks such as plating and grants workers the right to halt work if there is an imminent risk of industrial accidents.

Following Kim Yong-gyun’s death, civil society groups and political leaders called for a law that would hold company owners and managers accountable in the event of serious industrial accidents.

The Serious Accidents Punishment Act was passed by the National Assembly in January 2021 despite industry opposition and went into effect on Jan. 27, 2022.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY SHIN JIN-HO, KIM MIN-JOONG [[email protected]]