“Another worker death at SPC: doubts grow over group’s ‘empty’ safety pledges”, 21 May 2025

…According to SPC, a woman in her 50s died around 3 a.m. on 19 May at the SPC Samlip bakery factory in Sihwa, after becoming trapped in a conveyor belt. She had been applying lubricant to the belt used for cooling hot bread when the accident occurred.

…Data provided by the civic group Consumers’ Sovereignty Citizens’ Meeting shows that between 2018 and June 2023, a total of 853 SPC employees were officially recognised as victims of industrial accidents by the Korea Workers’ Compensation & Welfare Service — averaging roughly 13 cases per month. Of these, 86% were categorised as accident-related injuries.

…Despite the enforcement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act in January 2022, SPC Group has recorded a series of serious incidents. These include the death of a woman in her 20s who was pulled into a sandwich sauce mixer at the SPL plant in Pyeongtaek on 15 October 2022. Since then, there have been seven major incidents, including three fatal cases: SPL in 2022, Shany in 2023, and SPC Samlip in 2025.

…In response to growing public criticism over recurring safety failures, SPC Group Chairman Hur Young-in made a formal public apology on 21 October 2022 and announced preventive measures. However, the latest fatality has renewed public scepticism about the effectiveness of those pledges.

…Following the death at the Siwha factory, on 19th May, SPC Samlip CEO Kim Beom-soo issued a statement pledging full cooperation with the authorities and a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident. Yet the content closely mirrored previous apologies, intensifying calls for more fundamental changes to the company’s approach to worker safety.