“Suspected industrial accident cover-up involving second-tier subcontractor at Taean Power Plant – worker denied compensation”, 10 June 2025

A second-tier subcontracted worker at Taean Thermal Power Plant, operated by Korea Western Power, suffered burns on the job but was reportedly prevented from filing for industrial accident compensation.

…According to the Committee for Countermeasures on the Death of Kim Chung-hyun—a non-regular worker who died at the same plant—the incident occurred in January this year, when the worker was repairing a CS tank pipe and sustained second-degree burns after being splashed with hot water during steam injection work.

After being taken to hospital, the worker was told by a company representative that filing a workers’ compensation claim “could negatively affect the company,” and was instead reimbursed privately for his medical expenses.

… The committee blamed the ongoing outsourcing of dangerous work on the plant’s multilayered subcontracting system and reiterated its demand for the direct employment of all non-regular workers at power plants.