At the time of his death, Kim’s backpack contained a broken flashlight and three cups of instant noodles, the only meals he could afford. The 24-year-old temporary worker was killed on 11 December 2018 at Korea Western Power Co Ltd thermal power plant in Taean, South Korea, after being sucked into a coal conveyor belt that decapitated him. Only four months into his temporary job, he was placed in mortal danger so that the belt could run uninterrupted at a speed of 5 metres per second.

Kim’s death galvanised a national union campaign with wide community support, which included hunger strikes and which saw thousands join a series of protests on the streets.

On 17 December 2018, labour minister Lee Jae-gap and minister of trade, industry and energy Sung Yoon-mo apologised for the poor oversight that saw Kim killed. “We are deeply sorry for what happened to the late Kim Yong-kyun. Our deepest sympathies go out to the family of the deceased,” Lee Jae-gap said.

On 5 February 2019, continuing pressure on the Seoul government saw it introduce measures to address some of the concerns raised, including ensuring principal contractors bear responsibility for safety and improving the protection of ‘irregular’ workers.

However, a statement from the public service union KPTU said the concessions, which came in the first amendment to the country’s Occupational Safety and Health Act in three decades, “are greatly lacking”. The statement said it was clear “that we cannot simply rely on the government and ruling party to stop the killing of precarious workers caused by the outsourcing of death instead we recognise that it is our task to achieve this goal ourselves by uniting through our democratic and continuing struggle.”

The union statement said all workers “owe a debt of gratitude to Kim Yong-kyun” for the improvements to the law.” It continued: “It is also true that it would not have been possible to achieve the measures announced today without the unity of purpose of workers, the public, Kim’s family and co-workers who came together with the civil society coalition and fought as one.

“Through this struggle we were able to win recognition of the principles of ending the outsourcing of danger and accountability of the principal company in the case of accidents involving subcontracted workers.”

FINAL WITNESS   Kim Yong-kyun’s selfie, taken just days before his horrific death, called for an end to the temporary jobs that left him and others at risk. Kim only received three hours of safety training before being deployed on the conveyor belt that was to decapitate him. He had to pay for his safety helmet and a flashlight, while taking home less than half the wage of regular workers, and none of the benefits. He could not afford nutritious meals; his bag containing just three cheap pot noodles.

MUM’S COURAGE Kim's mother, Kim Mi-sook, was prominent in the campaign against exploitation of temporary workers. She refused to hold a funeral until after the government introduced the new protective measures for temporary workers. She sobbed as she read out a letter to her son at the 9 February 2019 ceremony. “I don't know how to live now that you are gone,” she said. “I will always love you.”

TEMPORARY ANGER In an average year more than 1,000 workers in South Korea are killed at work, the highest fatality rate among the 36 OECD member countries. Around threequarters of these work deaths are in temporary workers. The real toll is probably much higher – campaigners say fatalities often go unreported. In 2016, Korea Western Power Co Ltd, the owner of the Taean plant where Kim died, failed to report four workplace deaths to authorities in order to keep its workers’ compensation premiums low.

MOON SHOT The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and other labour groups held a series of demonstrations in the wake of Kim Yong-kyun’s death. They demanded direct dialogue with South Korean president and former human rights lawyer Moon Jae-in - just as Kim had wished - over ways to end the deadly subcontracting of jobs. Just 58 days after Kim’s death, the safety law was amended for the first time in three decades in what unions called “a first step towards eradicating 'the outsourcing of danger', stopping the drive towards fragmentation and privatisation of the power industry and achieving safe working conditions for power plant and all precarious workers.”

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Irregular outcome

A few days before his death, Kim Yong-kyun joined a “selfie campaign,” posting on social media a photo of himself holding a sign reading: “Mr President, please meet with temporary workers to repeal unfair labour laws, to punish illegal outsourcers, and to replace temporary jobs with regular ones.”

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