Hankook appeals against court ruling on employee deaths

ERJ staff report (DS)

Seoul, Korea -- Hankook has acknowledged that the company and its executives have been found guilty of causing deaths in two of its Korean factories through violations of the industrial safety & health law, but the company has issued an appeal against the rulings.

A company spokesman said, "an appeal has been filed this week with the District Court in Daejeon, Korea, by our company and executives involved in the case."

The statement reads, in full:

A recent ruling of a provincial court in Korea that certain executives of Hankook Tire are responsible for violation of the industrial safety & health law is stemmed from some findings during the Department of Labor(DOL)'s inspection of the Hankook Tire's workplaces between October 22, 2007 and December 5, 2007.

Hankook Tire, however, has taken all necessary measures to improve the working conditions in its workplaces upon the DOL's recommendations despite the fact that the epidemiological study by the Industrial Disease Research Center from the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) found no conclusive link between the chronic onset of cardiovascular disease and the working environment at Hankook Tire's two plants and R&D center in Korea.

Hankook Tire has implemented all of the suggestions and recommendations by the Department of Labor and KOSHA and continues to fulfill all its responsibilities, both legally and in principle.

The health and welfare of all employees is a priority for Hankook Tire. Hankook Tire's facilities and employee management practices are in full compliance with all Korean government regulations and are benchmarked against international best practice. Other measures being taken by Hankook Tire include strengthening its employee medical screening program and identifying ways to improve the working environment further.

Hankook said a communication failure within its communcations department, combined with the holiday season had allowed the statement to be released in the US before managers in Korea or Europe were aware of the move.