Samsung Electronics remained tight-lipped on Wednesday after South Korean authorities recognized birth defects in children of former semiconductor factory workers as work-related injuries. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Mar. 25 (Korea Bizwire) – Samsung Electronics remained tight-lipped on Wednesday after South Korean authorities recognized birth defects in children of former semiconductor factory workers as work-related injuries, reopening scrutiny over the tech giant’s commitment to employee welfare.
The landmark ruling by the Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service covered three cases where children born to women who worked at Samsung semiconductor plants during their pregnancies were found to have congenital diseases linked to workplace hazards.
While Samsung did not issue a statement specifically addressing the birth defects cases, the company had previously agreed to compensate workers who developed illnesses like leukemia after a government-led mediation process in 2018.
That mediation, proposed by a committee tasked with resolving the health crisis at Samsung’s chip and display factories, established compensation criteria covering all current and former employees who had worked on production lines for at least one year after the company’s first semiconductor plant opened in May 1984.
The compensation amounts, which could reach up to 150 million won for leukemia cases, were determined based on factors like work location, duration of employment, and severity of illness. While the link between the factory conditions and some diseases remained uncertain, the mediation sought to maximize the scope of eligibility while setting payouts below legal workplace injury standards.
Both Samsung and the advocacy group that campaigned for the affected workers agreed to the mediation proposal, ending over a decade of acrimonious conflict.
“We had failed to fully and properly manage potential health hazards at our semiconductor and display workplaces,” said Kim Ki-nam, then president of Samsung’s device solutions division, offering an apology to “workers and families who suffered from illnesses.”
The 2018 compensation criteria encompassed not only cancers and rare diseases among employees but also reproductive issues and conditions affecting their children. It applied to male workers whose spouses became pregnant within three months of them working on chip and display production lines, as well as female workers exposed during the three months before and throughout their own pregnancies.
Given these guidelines, the recent rulings on birth defects would likely make the affected families eligible for compensation from Samsung, according to the criteria’s provisions.
Beyond the mediated agreement, Samsung is also known to provide comprehensive support to employees afflicted by illnesses, regardless of whether their conditions are officially recognized as industrial accidents.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
