In June 2025, it was reported that a second-tier subcontracted worker at Taean Thermal Power Plant, operated by Korea Western Power, suffered second-degree burns during maintenance work but was allegedly discouraged from filing an industrial accident claim and instead received private reimbursement. According to the Committee for Countermeasures on the Death of Kim Chung-hyun—a non-regular worker who died at the same plant—the company cited reputational concerns and failed to support the claim process. The incident was linked to Korea Western Power’s multi-layered subcontracting system, which the committee criticised as a structural cause of ongoing safety violations.

Korea Western Power did not respond to the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre’s request for comment.