Korean data show 642 of 1,220 construction deaths since 2021 were falls
In short
Data obtained by opposition lawmaker Hwang Hee from the land ministry show 1,220 construction-site deaths in South Korea between 2021 and June 2026, of which 642 — 52.6% — were caused by falls. Annual fall deaths fell from 148 in 2021 to 100 in 2025, but in the first half of 2026, 29 of 58 deaths were falls. At the top 10 builders, 36 of 120 deaths were falls, and some sites recorded repeat fall fatalities.
Read the full story 2 min read
Land ministry data obtained by Rep. Hwang Hee of the Democratic Party show that South Korean construction sites recorded 1,220 deaths between 2021 and June 2026, of which 642 — 52.6% — were caused by falls, according to Yonhap, Maeil Business and Dong-A Ilbo. The three outlets reported that more than one in every two construction deaths in the period was a fall. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
The annual figures show a decline. Fall deaths fell from 148 in 2021 to 130 in 2022, 127 in 2023, 108 in 2024 and 100 in 2025, while total construction deaths dropped from 272 in 2021 to 199 in 2025. In the first half of 2026, 29 of the 58 construction deaths, or half, were falls, the reports said. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
Large builders were not exempt. Among the top 10 construction companies, 120 deaths were recorded in the period, 36 of them (30.0%) from falls. Hyundai E&C and Lotte E&C each recorded 6 fall deaths, the most, followed by Hyundai Engineering & Construction and POSCO E&C with 5 each, according to Yonhap, Maeil Business and Dong-A Ilbo. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
The data also list repeat accidents on the same projects. At Hyundai E&C’s section 14 of the Anseong–Guri stretch of the Sejong–Pocheon expressway, one worker died in a fall in February 2022 and another in September 2023. At Hyundai Engineering & Construction, one worker died in a fall at the Gasan knowledge industry centre on 6 April 2023 and another at the Guri Galmae knowledge industry centre on 11 April 2023, five days later. [ 1 , 2 ]
On causes, worker-related deaths accounted for 539 cases (44.2%), led by “worker carelessness” at 310, followed by unsafe behaviour at 85, failure to follow work order at 52, and defective or missing safety gear at 47 and 45. Yonhap reported that an inspection of eight sections after the Shinansan Line rebar fall found that at the site of a vertical-shaft fall no separate passage for moving between levels had been installed, and workers used a cable opening as a route. [ 1 , 2 ]
Hwang said: “Even though half of all construction-site deaths are from falls, basic safety facilities such as guardrails and work passages are repeatedly inadequate on site,” adding that “before demanding caution from workers, the facilities that allow them to move and work safely must be secured.” [ 1 , 2 ]
Why it matters
The figures go to the centre of South Korea’s workplace-safety enforcement debate, since more than half of construction deaths in the period came from a single, widely recognised hazard. The documents also show fall deaths recurring on the same project and at the country’s largest builders, which the lawmaker cited as evidence that basic on-site safeguards are still missing.
Key facts
- From 2021 to June 2026, construction sites recorded 1,220 deaths, of which 642 (52.6%) were caused by falls, according to land ministry data obtained by Rep. Hwang Hee of the Democratic Party. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Annual fall deaths declined from 148 in 2021 to 130 in 2022, 127 in 2023, 108 in 2024 and 100 in 2025; total construction deaths fell from 272 in 2021 to 199 in 2025. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- In the first half of 2026, 29 of 58 construction deaths, or half, were caused by falls. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- At the top 10 construction companies, 120 deaths were recorded in the period, 36 of them (30.0%) from falls; Hyundai E&C and Lotte E&C each had 6 fall deaths, and Hyundai Engineering & Construction and POSCO E&C each had 5. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Causes listed included worker-related deaths totalling 539 (44.2%), among them “worker carelessness” at 310, unsafe behaviour at 85, failure to follow work order at 52, and defective or absent safety gear at 47 and 45. [ 1 , 2 ]
- At Hyundai E&C’s Anseong–Guri section 14 of the Sejong–Pocheon expressway project, one worker died in a fall in February 2022 and another in September 2023. [ 1 , 2 ]
- At Hyundai Engineering & Construction, one worker died in a fall at the Gasan knowledge industry centre on 6 April 2023 and another at the Guri Galmae knowledge industry centre on 11 April 2023. [ 1 , 2 ]
- An inspection of eight sections after the Shinansan Line rebar fall found that at the site of a vertical-shaft fall no separate passage for moving between levels had been installed, and workers used a cable opening as a route. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Construction-site deaths totalled 1,220 from 2021 through June 2026, with 642 (52.6%) caused by falls. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Annual fall deaths and total construction deaths declined over 2021–2025. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- In the first half of 2026, 29 of 58 construction deaths were falls. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Top 10 builders recorded 120 deaths in the period, 36 (30.0%) of them falls. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Hyundai E&C and Lotte E&C each recorded 6 fall deaths in the period. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Two fall deaths occurred on the same Hyundai E&C expressway project, in February 2022 and September 2023. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Fall deaths at Hyundai Engineering & Construction sites in Gasan and Guri Galmae occurred five days apart in April 2023. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the decline in annual fall deaths reflects improved site safety. The documents present the figures without any stated cause for the trend, and no outlet attributes it to a specific measure.
- How the cause-of-death categories in the data were defined and assigned. The documents give category totals such as “worker carelessness” without explaining the classification method.
- Full-year 2026 figures. All outlets state the data runs only to June 2026, so the year is incomplete.