A court has ruled against the family of a worker who died after delivering a high-stakes presentation, citing a lack of objective evidence regarding an increase in working hours and the presence of underlying medical conditions.
The Seoul Administrative Court, led by Presiding Judge Ho Sung-ho of the 3rd Administrative Division, ruled against the plaintiff in a lawsuit filed by the spouse of the deceased, identified as A, against the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service to cancel the denial of survivor benefits and funeral expenses.
A, who worked in construction consulting and supervision for an engineering firm, was found dead in his accommodation the day after delivering a presentation to executives in November 2023 to secure a project contract.
During the presentation, A reportedly showed symptoms such as headaches and cold sweats. He returned to his accommodation around 3:30 p.m. that day, appearing to be in distress, and was later found dead.
A's spouse argued that he had been under significant psychological pressure due to failed project bids, standby duties, and wage cuts, and that the overwork involved in preparing for the presentation led to his death.
Consequently, the spouse filed for survivor benefits and funeral expenses under the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act, claiming his death should be recognized as a work-related accident.
However, the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service rejected the claim in March 2024, stating that it was difficult to establish a causal link between A's death and his work.
A's spouse subsequently filed an administrative lawsuit to challenge the decision.
The court ruled against the plaintiff, stating it was reasonable to conclude that A's death was caused by personal factors.
The court first noted that there was no confirmed objective increase in working hours.
A's working hours in the week leading up to his death totaled 40 hours and 3 minutes, which was not a significant increase compared to his average weekly working hours of 39 hours and 37 minutes over the 2 to 12 weeks prior to his death. Therefore, the court found it difficult to conclude that his workload had surged.
The court also determined that since bid preparation and presentations were among A's primary duties, it was difficult to view the situation as an unexpected or unpredictable event, or a sudden change in the work environment.
The court also cited as grounds for its decision that A had suffered from diabetes for over 10 years, had received treatment for carotid artery occlusion and stenosis for three years, had smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for 30 years, and that his cause of death was non-traumatic intracerebral hemorrhage.
The court stated, "It is reasonable to assess that the illness in this case was caused by degenerative changes in blood vessels weakened by the deceased's personal factors, such as long-term diabetes, hypertension, and smoking, rather than by work-related stress."
(Photo: Yonhap News)