Hankook Awaiting Further Information Following Daejeon Employee Death

The Korea Times has reported the death of a 27-year old man employed as a subcontract worker in Hankook Tire’s Daejeon factory in South Korea. According to the September 27 published article, the death is the 16th amongst workers at Hankook’s Korean facilities since May 2006 and the deaths “are suspected to be related to the working environment.” The man, who is identified by the name ‘Lee’, is said to have had no previous health concerns and was employed to examine the surface of newly manufactured tyres.

“The amount of toxic chemicals was below the government standard at the work station Lee worked at and approved by the labour ministry. Moreover, Lee had worked at the factory for only four months. We will have to wait and see what the police have to say,” the Korea Times quotes a Hankook Tire spokesman as saying. “We will request the subcontracting company to conduct a full investigation and make the utmost compensation to his family with legal limits,” he added.

During a two-year period, 15 other workers at Hankook’s Daejeon and Geumsan facilities have died of various illnesses, including heart attacks, coronary artery disease and cancer. Families of the deceased and union representatives have claimed a connection between these deaths and workplace environment exist and suggest high levels of organic solvents are present there. However, the Korea Times points out that the state-run Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency failed to confirm a relationship between the deaths and exposure to the organic solvents. It instead suggested that an excessive workload may have possibly stressed their bodies, making them more susceptible to all kinds of diseases.