“Outrage over labour office decision to clear company in heatstroke death of young air conditioner installer”, 1 July 2025

Labour rights groups and the family of the late Yang Jun-hyeok have condemned the Gwangju Regional Employment and Labour Office after it concluded there was no fault on the part of the company involved in his death. Yang, a man in his 20s, died of heat-related illness while installing an air conditioner in the cafeteria of a middle school in Jangseong, South Jeolla Province.

…According to Gwangju-Jeonnam Workers’ Health and Safety Watchdog, a local occupational safety group, the labour office announced its decision on 18 June—ten months after the incident—ruling that the employer bore no responsibility. The group criticised the findings, stating that despite the extreme heat, the worker had been left unattended. Authorities argued that the company had sufficiently provided water, shade, and rest, and that Yang had shown signs of disorientation, assaulted a colleague, and left the site without notice. They further claimed that the employer fulfilled its emergency response obligations by contacting Yang’s mother three times.

The labour office has submitted the case to the Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office with a recommendation not to indict, citing no violations of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act or the Occupational Safety and Health Act.