Tragedy Strikes: Expectant Father Killed in Forklift Accident Two Weeks Before Child's Birth

[Anchor]

A temporary worker recently lost his life after being crushed by a forklift he was operating in the underground parking lot of a supermarket in Jeju. The tragedy is even more heartbreaking as the victim was an expectant father, with his child due in just two weeks. Controversy is mounting as it has been revealed that he was forced to perform the work despite not having a forklift license and suffering from a leg injury.

JIBS reporter Jung Yong-gi has the story.

[Reporter]

A forklift lies overturned on the ramp of the supermarket's underground parking lot.

The parking lot barrier is damaged, and corn is scattered across the ground.

The victim, the late Kim Young-kyun, had been operating the forklift. He reportedly got off the vehicle to collect fallen corn, and was crushed to death while attempting to stop the forklift as it began to move.

It is presumed that the accident occurred when the forklift, which had been parked on the ramp, rolled backward.

On the day of the accident, the freight elevator was out of service, forcing the transport of goods via the underground parking lot. Kim was wearing a cast on one foot, making it difficult for him to properly operate the forklift.

[Supermarket Official: There were people guiding him from the front and back. Since the freight elevator was broken, it seems the work was carried out voluntarily, and we usually prioritize licensed operators within our regulations...]

His wife, who is heavily pregnant and due to give birth in two weeks, has lost her husband overnight.

She tearfully explained that Kim, a temporary worker, had been working even on weekends in hopes of transitioning to a permanent position this coming August.

[Wife of the late Kim Young-kyun: Even when he was with me, he was constantly in contact with the company, and he would go in for work on his days off. He was a husband who worked so hard.]

The forklift Kim was operating is under 3 tons, which legally requires the operator to complete mandatory safety training.

However, the bereaved family claims that Kim had been performing forklift duties since he first joined the company, despite never having received the required training.

[Bereaved Family: It is irresponsible to have an unqualified person perform that work when there were structural conditions that made an accident inevitable at any time.]

The police and the Gwangju Regional Employment and Labor Office are investigating the circumstances surrounding the forklift operation, the work order process, and whether safety regulations were followed.

(Video by Yoon In-soo, JIBS | Footage courtesy of Jeju Fire Safety Headquarters)

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※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.