At the Daebul National Industrial Complex in Yeongam, Jeollanam-do, a 35-year-old Cambodian worker was crushed by a ship block during a crane operation, marking the fourth foreign worker death in just four days. Reports indicate that the worker was involved in moving ship blocks when the accident occurred, and authorities are investigating the incident. Labor rights organizations have condemned the high rate of workplace fatalities in the complex, attributing the ongoing issue to systemic failures by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and local authorities.

Since last year, there have been 12 reported fatalities at the Daebul complex, including various incidents such as falls, suffocation, and violent accidents. Notably, on the 24th of the previous month, a Vietnamese worker died due to asphyxiation while improperly using an argon gas nozzle during metal surface treatment. Labor rights groups argue that the prevalence of workplace deaths, particularly among migrant workers, is symptomatic of broader systemic issues, including inadequate safety measures and the relegation of workers to the most hazardous tasks, often justified by language barriers and inexperience.

These organizations are calling for accountability, urging an official apology from government officials and a reassessment of safety protocols across all companies in the Daebul complex. They frame the deaths not merely as unfortunate accidents but as the result of corporate greed and governmental negligence prioritizing cost-cutting over worker safety. There is a growing demand for structural changes to ensure the protection of migrant workers who are often disproportionately affected in high-risk industries like shipbuilding.