A worker who developed breast cancer while working at semiconductor plants has been recognized as having suffered an industrial accident in a first-instance ruling. The court determined that hazardous substances and shift work at the factories could have caused the cancer.
According to the human rights group "Supporters for the Health And Rights of People in the Semiconductor industry" (SHARPS), Seoul Administrative Court Judge Cho Dae-hyun of the 10th single-judge administrative division ruled in favor of the plaintiff on the 16th of this month in a lawsuit filed by Hwang (41) against the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service seeking to overturn the denial of medical care benefits, SHARPS said Tuesday.
Hwang worked on a semiconductor assembly production line at Amkor Technology Korea's Gwangju plant from September 2003 to May 2014, and on a semiconductor clean room manufacturing line at an in-house subcontractor of SK hynix (000660.KS)'s Cheongju plant from March 2018 to June 2021.
Hwang applied for industrial accident medical care benefits with the service, stating that she had been "diagnosed with breast cancer after being exposed to various hazardous chemicals and ionizing radiation" during this time. After receiving a denial from the service, she filed the lawsuit in December 2023.
"Sufficient probability has been proven that the hazardous elements in the work environment, including the combined exposure to hazardous chemicals, ionizing radiation, overwork, and shift work during the plaintiff's employment at the semiconductor plants, were important causes that triggered or aggravated the breast cancer," the court said. "In light of the statements of fellow workers, it cannot be deemed unreasonable to assume that Amkor Technology Korea's Gwangju plant did not sufficiently equip safety facilities to prevent workers from being exposed to hazardous substances." The court added, "The disposition in this case, made on the premise that a substantial causal relationship between the plaintiff's work and the illness in question is not recognized, is unlawful."
Hwang said through SHARPS, "I hope this outcome becomes a small source of hope for other workers in similar situations." She added, "I hope the work environment and system will be improved so that the same suffering will not be repeated."
