A court has ruled that local governments must pay 10 million won per person in damages to school cafeteria workers who were granted industrial accident recognition for lung cancer.

On September 8, Judge Jeong Seon-hee of Civil Settlement Division 33 at the Seoul Central District Court partially ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed by nine individuals, including a person surnamed Kang who worked as a school cafeteria cook, against the state and four local governments: Gwangju, Jeollanam-do, Gyeongsangbuk-do, and Busan.

The nine plaintiffs, who worked as cooks in school cafeterias for at least 12 years, were granted industrial accident recognition between 2022 and 2024 by the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service after establishing a causal link between their cooking duties and lung cancer.

The court acknowledged liability for damages on the part of the local governments, but dismissed the claims against the state.

Specifically, the court ordered the city of Gwangju to pay 10 million won to each of the 4 plaintiffs, Jeollanam-do province and the city of Busan to pay 10 million won to each of the 2 plaintiffs respectively, and Gyeongsangbuk-do province to pay 10 million won to 1 plaintiff.

Previously, the plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in January of last year seeking 10 million won per person in damages, arguing that the state and local governments failed to fulfill their duty to protect the physical well-being and health of cafeteria workers, leading to the development of lung cancer.

They have argued that educational authorities left workers in poor environments—such as failing to install ventilation systems to expel cooking fumes, a carcinogen generated when stir-frying or deep-frying food at high temperatures, despite knowing the risks—and failing to provide protective gear.