Kaesong Worker Killed in Industrial Accident

by Sonagi on July 17, 2008

in Inter-Korean Issues, North Korea

The BBC is reporting that one North Korean was killed and four others injured, two critically, when a steel frame collapsed at a South-Korean owned factory.

{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }

1 ghost.yoon July 18, 2008 at 1:41 am

That sucks. Those people have the best paying non-military jobs in North Korea with an incredible retirement plan: not being shot to death.

2 Jerry July 18, 2008 at 2:03 am

I’m curious to know if these workers are in construction, or are they just factory workers who had the roof collapse on them?

Workplace injuries and fatalities are facts of life. In the US, the overall fatality rate is about 3.9 per 100,000 workers annually. But some jobs have much higher rate of death. For example, American miners sustained 27.8 deaths per 100,000 workers, farmers and ranchers sustained 37.1, loggers 82.1, and fishing workers a whopping 141.7. You’d never find me on a crab boat in Alaska!

Please don’t think that I’m making light of the situation, but statistically speaking, if there are 30,000 North Koreans working there and this is their first fatality after a number of years, it’s actually pretty good work safety record.

3 Acropolis7 July 18, 2008 at 5:02 am

Somehow KJI will use this to way leverage against last weeks incident.

4 Siddhartha July 18, 2008 at 5:23 am

Media is trying to tie this to last week’s shooting death of South Korean tourist…They want actions!! Truth to be told, shit like this happend everyday in worksite. North Korean government should be grateful that their people have an opportunity to work for same Korean Minjok from South in Kaesung. Now Fatso Kim wants to leverage this with Seoul. Drama continues…

5 Bipolar Mindscrew July 18, 2008 at 6:56 am

4. serious? links?

6 Austin July 18, 2008 at 8:16 am

In North Korea
Tourist shot-South Korea’s fault
Workers die- South Korea’s fault

In South Korea
Economy is down- Foreigner’s fault
Stockmarket down- Foreigner’s fault
Can’t learn English- Foreign teachers fault

Somehow I don’t think there is such a substantial difference between the North and South.

7 MigukNamja July 18, 2008 at 9:15 am

Re: #6

Nice try, Austin. The same shit happens everywhere. Foreigners are almost always the first scapegoat, mainly because they have little to no voice of their own, make for an easy target, and most importantly, can’t retaliate by voting the other guy into office because, well, they can’t vote.

It’s always somebody else’s fault, no matter where you go. It’s not a “Korean thing”, it’s a “human thing”.

8 Acropolis7 July 18, 2008 at 10:12 am

How it really happened.

KJI: Make an accident happen at Gaesong

cult follower: Yes Generalissmo.

9 Dimitar July 18, 2008 at 12:29 pm

#6, well said.

I think this is not an accident. Call me crazy, it comes at a moment when the truth about the planned murder of Mrs Park is revealing. It’s a way to “make things even” by blaming the South as usual.

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