HL Group chairman visits memorial for worker killed at Pyeongtaek factory

HL Group Chairman Jeong Mong-won visited the memorial for the late Kim Seung-mo on Tuesday, as the company and the bereaved family of the subcontractor worker killed in an entrapment accident at HL Mando's Pyeongtaek factory reached a settlement.

Jeong arrived at the memorial set up in front of the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office in Jongno-gu around 5 p.m. After paying his respects, he told the bereaved family he was sorry it had taken so long and pledged to do everything possible to prevent a recurrence.

Jeong had also sent a separate letter to the family before visiting the memorial.

It was the first time Jeong had appeared publicly since the accident. Until then, HL Mando Vice Chairman Jo Seong-hyeon had handled apologies and the company's response. On Monday, Jo attempted to hold a press conference at the company's Pangyo office in Gyeonggi Province to deliver an apology and announce recurrence-prevention measures, but the event was called off after protests from the bereaved family and the late Kim Seung-mo's serious industrial accident response committee.

In a statement Tuesday, HL Mando offered its condolences to the late Kim and extended "a sincere apology once again to the bereaved family, who are enduring profound grief." The company added that it would faithfully fulfill the terms of the settlement with the family and "do its utmost to continuously review and improve its safety management systems so that such a tragic accident never happens again."

Kim, 28, a worker employed by HL Mando subcontractor Piarodix, died on July 22 after becoming trapped in machinery during maintenance work at the Pyeongtaek factory.

After overnight negotiations, the company and the response committee reached a final agreement Tuesday covering four points: an apology from management including a memorial visit by Chairman Jeong, the establishment of recurrence-prevention measures with union participation, active cooperation with the investigation into alleged illegal dispatch of workers, and compensation for the bereaved family. The funeral will be held as a "labor and civic society funeral" at 6 p.m. Tuesday in front of the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office.

Meanwhile, HL Mando on Monday released a comprehensive safety improvement roadmap centered on a full overhaul of safety systems across all its facilities and the creation of a dedicated safety organization.

Under the plan, the company will conduct annual joint inspections with external safety specialists, with any findings tracked through a management roadmap. It also plans to build a smart safety management system by installing human-detection CCTV cameras inside its factories and deploying mobile CCTV units capable of monitoring hazardous situations during outsourced construction work. A joint labor-management "Safety Walk" program to inspect on-site risks will also be introduced.