The Ministry of Employment and Labor has launched a compulsory investigation into POSCO E&C, the contractor, and others in connection with a fatal fall accident at the Sinansan Line railway construction site.

The Seoul Southern Branch of the Ministry of Labor announced on the 26th that it had conducted search and seizure operations targeting the on-site offices of POSCO E&C and its subcontractors. Approximately 20 labor inspectors were mobilized for the raid.

The Ministry of Labor plans to secure data including mobile phones and PCs from relevant personnel and conduct a focused investigation into whether safety measures were properly implemented at the time of the accident. Based on the secured evidence, the ministry intends to determine the cause of the accident and take strict action against those responsible if violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act are confirmed. Furthermore, the ministry stated its position that it will actively carry out compulsory investigations, including search and seizure operations, against workplaces where fatal accidents repeatedly occur due to a failure to observe even the most basic safety rules.

In response, when this publication asked the company for its position on the raid, a POSCO E&C official said, "As the search and seizure is underway, we are sincerely cooperating with the investigation and will provide our utmost assistance."

Meanwhile, on the afternoon of the 9th, a 35-year-old worker employed by a POSCO E&C subcontractor fell approximately 15 meters to his death while working to expand an opening at the Sinansan Line construction site in Gwanak-gu, Seoul. Including this incident, a total of four fatal accidents have occurred at the Sinansan Line construction site since 2024, claiming the lives of four workers.

Following these accidents, the Ministry of Labor, together with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, is currently conducting joint safety management inspections at seven Sinansan Line double-track railway construction sites, and plans to carry out planned special inspections at the POSCO E&C headquarters and construction sites nationwide going forward.