Court rules death after executive presentation was not work-related injury

By Yang Geun-hyuk, The Herald Business

A court has ruled that the death of a worker who suffered a cerebral hemorrhage the day after giving a presentation before company executives did not constitute a work-related injury, finding that pre-existing conditions such as diabetes were the direct cause of death rather than stress from preparing the presentation.

According to legal sources Sunday, the third administrative division of the Seoul Administrative Court, presided over by Judge Ho Seong-ho, ruled against the plaintiff in a lawsuit filed by the spouse of the deceased worker, identified only as A, seeking to overturn the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service's decision to deny survivor benefits and funeral expenses.

According to the court, A worked at an engineering firm performing construction services and supervision. In November 2023, A gave a presentation before company executives to secure a service contract and was found dead at a lodging the following day. A had shown symptoms including headaches and cold sweats during the presentation before returning to the lodging, where A later died.

A's spouse argued that A had been under significant psychological pressure due to a failed bid for a supervision contract, a period of standby duty and a pay cut, and that overwork during preparation of the presentation led to the death. The spouse filed a claim for survivor benefits and funeral expenses under the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act, arguing the death should be recognized as a work-related injury.

The welfare service rejected the claim the following March, saying it was difficult to establish a causal link between A's death and work duties. A's spouse then filed an administrative lawsuit challenging that decision.

The court sided with the welfare service, finding it reasonable to conclude that A's death stemmed from personal factors.

The court also noted that no objective increase in working hours had been confirmed. A's working hours in the week before death totaled 40 hours and 3 minutes, barely more than the weekly average of 39 hours and 37 minutes recorded over the two to 12 weeks prior, making it difficult to conclude that the workload had jumped sharply.

The court also said that bid preparation and presentations were among A's core duties, and that there was no basis to conclude that a sudden, unforeseeable event had occurred in connection with the work or that there had been any abrupt change in the work environment.

The court cited additional factors in its ruling: A had suffered from diabetes for more than 10 years, had received treatment for carotid artery occlusion and stenosis over three years, had smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for 30 years, and the cause of death was determined to be non-traumatic intracerebral hemorrhage.

The court went on to say, "It is reasonable to conclude that the condition in this case was caused not by work-related stress but by degenerative changes in blood vessels weakened by the deceased's personal predispositions — including long-term diabetes, hypertension and smoking."