Contents
[Memorial Statement]
- [Struggle for Recognition of Occupational Diseases in the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries]
- [Response to the Suicide of Samsung Semiconductor New Researcher, the Late Worker Kim Chi-yeop]
- [Korea Nitto Optical Cluster Occupational Cancer Case]
- [Struggle over Occupational Diseases of Workplace Trainees — Stats ChipPAC Korea and KM Tech]
- [Samsung Electronics Vietnam Factory Environmental Violations — UN Letter and Samsung's False Response]
- [Occupational Injury System Reform]
- [Amendment of the Child Occupational Injury Act]
- [Industrial Technology Protection Act and the Right-to-Know Struggle]
- [Supply Chain Responsibility Act (Corporate Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence Act) and Supply Chain Safety and Health]
- [Chemical Substance System Improvement: Chemical Safety Policy Forum and Chemical Substance Monitoring]
- [Movement to Block the Semiconductor Special Act]
- [Electronics Industry Safety and Health Center]
- [International Solidarity]
- [Domestic Solidarity]
- [Documentary Record — Off the Circuit]
- [Documentaries — Nimble Fingers; Colorless and Odorless]
- [Volunteer Activities]
- [Public Relations]
- [SHARPS Office Relocation]
- 2025 SHARPS Financial Report (January – December 2025)
[Memorial Statement] 19th Anniversary of the Death of the Late Hwang Yu-mi & Day of Remembrance for Workers Who Died from Occupational Accidents in the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries
We remember the late Kim Chi-yeop, Lee Dae-seong, Park Su-jeong, and Lee Hwa-jeong.
We remember the twenty-three-year-old Hwang Yu-mi and all workers who died from occupational accidents in the semiconductor and electronics industries.
Until the day when the right to work safely—without dying—and with equality is secured,
SHARPS will continue its struggle.
Over the past year, eight workers who suffered occupational injuries lost their lives.
On March 26, 2025, Kim Chi-yeop, who had been working as a researcher at Samsung Semiconductor, took his own life. Despite suffering from severe depression caused by work-related stress and performance pressure, he was refused sick leave, and was driven to his death at the end of a desperate and hopeless situation. We will remember thirty-year-old Kim Chi-yeop, who was pushed to his death.
On May 26, Park Su-jeong, a female worker who had left her position as an operator at Samsung Semiconductor, passed away just three months after being diagnosed with malignant brain cancer.
On June 27, a female worker in her 50s who was working as a safety supervisor conducting pipe inspection at the construction site of Samsung Semiconductor's Pyeongtaek plant fell from a height of 8 meters and died. It was a death repeated in the exact same place and the exact same manner as one year prior.
On July 4, a subcontracted worker in his 50s who was manufacturing TMAH (tetramethylammonium hydroxide)—an acutely toxic substance used as a cleaning solution and developer in semiconductor production—died of cardiac arrest from acute poisoning.
On July 21, Lee Dae-seong, employed by Hanyang Engineering and working in chemical supply operations in the CCSS room at Samsung Semiconductor's Hwaseong plant, died of malignant brain cancer. The CCSS room is a place where a fatal acute poisoning accident previously occurred due to hydrofluoric acid leakage, and where workers with blood cancer have also died—all of the victims were subcontracted workers.
On August 17, Park Da-wi, who had worked as a female operator at Samsung Semiconductor's Hwaseong plant and was diagnosed with malignant brain cancer at the young age of only twenty-four in 2016, passed away after an eight-year battle with illness.
On December 23, a subcontracted worker in his 60s was fatally caught in machinery while inspecting OHT logistics automation equipment at Samsung Display's Asan plant.
And on February 24, 2026, Lee Hwa-jeong, who had worked as an in-house subcontracted worker at SK Hynix's Icheon plant and developed Parkinson's disease, passed away after a ten-year battle with illness.
The deaths that have been reported to SHARPS alone number eight. The deaths reported to SHARPS are only the tip of the iceberg. We pray for the souls of the workers who died from occupational accidents while working in the semiconductor and electronics industries.
Today, March 6, 2026, marks the 19th anniversary of the death of the late Hwang Yu-mi. Nineteen years of struggle over occupational diseases have brought about numerous changes. Many people have had their occupational injuries recognized, companies have established support and compensation schemes, and various institutional reforms have been made. Above all, the workplaces that were driving people to their deaths are being improved.
However, reports of illness and death from those who are sick continue to this day. The practice of denying occupational injury claims, which had regressed over the past several years, has not shown any clear signs of improvement, and the promised institutional reforms have yet to be realized. The right to know—which is essential for proving and preventing occupational injuries—is not sufficiently guaranteed. Occupational accidents involving workplace trainees are recurring, yet safety and health education is nowhere to be found in plans to cultivate the semiconductor and electronics workforce. The dangers that are increasingly being outsourced to lower and less visible levels are not being sufficiently communicated. The problems at workplaces that have relocated abroad in search of cheap wages and lax environmental safety and health regulations are also serious.
SHARPS will not stop fighting for the right to work without dying, the right to work safely and equally. We will continue forward together with our solidarity comrades, together with occupational injury victims, and together with workers.
March 6, 2026
Supporters for the Health And Rights of People in Semiconductor industry — SHARPS
<Profiles of Workers Who Died from Occupational Accidents in the Semiconductor/Display Industries>
2025.3.26 Late Kim Chi-yeop (b.1995, researcher) | Researcher at Samsung Semiconductor's Hwaseong plant. Shortly after joining, was assigned to an HBM competitiveness enhancement project team and suffered worsening depression and sleep disorders due to work-related stress and performance pressure. Mustered courage to apply for sick leave but was refused by the company. After completing a project presentation on March 19, ended his life by suicide (age 30). |
2025.5.8 Late Park Su-jeong (b.1976, operator) | Joined Samsung Semiconductor's Giheung plant as an operator in 1994 and worked as an etching workshop operator for 10 years until 2004, then resigned. After living as a full-time homemaker, underwent treatment for chronic suppurative otitis media in 2019, then suffered from headaches before being diagnosed with a brain tumor (glioblastoma) in February 2025. Died three months later (age 48). |
2025.6.27 Late [Name Withheld] (female, 50s, safety monitor/subcontractor) | Fell to her death from approximately 8 meters during piping inspection at the P4 construction site of Samsung Semiconductor's Pyeongtaek plant. Primary contractor Samsung C&T and the piping installation subcontractor neglected their duty to prevent accidents, leading to the fatal fall of the safety monitor. |
2025.7.4 Late [Name Withheld] (50s, chemical production/subcontractor) | At Samyoung Sunhwa's Onsan plant, a subcontracted worker was exposed while injecting TMAH (tetramethylammonium hydroxide)—an acutely toxic substance used as a cleaning solution and developer in semiconductors and displays—into a drum, suffered cardiac arrest, and died 50 days later. |
2025.7.21 Late Lee Dae-seong (age 42, chemical supply maintenance/subcontractor) | Employed by Hanyang Engineering and Hanyang CMS (in-house subcontractors), worked on chemical supply operations in the CCSS room at Samsung Semiconductor's Hwaseong plant. Was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2024 and died during treatment (age 42). |
2025.8.17 Late Park Da-wi (age 33, operator) | Joined Samsung Semiconductor's Hwaseong plant in 2010 at age 18. Worked as a photo/fab-out process operator, then was diagnosed with a brain tumor (glioblastoma) in 2016 at age 24 and underwent treatment. After suffering from repeated recurrences, limb/face paralysis, and decline in motor, language, and cognitive functions, passed away on August 17, 2025, at age 33. (Recognized as occupational injury in 2021 after 871 days of delays.) |
2025.12.23 Late [Name Withheld] (60s, automation equipment maintenance/subcontractor) | Was fatally caught in OHT logistics automation equipment during an inspection in the clean room at Samsung Display's Asan Campus 2. |
2026.2.24 Late Lee Hwa-jeong (b.1961, subcontracted production worker) | A female in-house subcontracted worker at SK Hynix's Icheon plant performing semiconductor packaging and testing. Developed Parkinson's disease due to hazardous substances, electromagnetic waves, shift work, and other factors. Died after a 10-year battle with illness (age 65). |
Contents
[Memorial Statement]
[Memorial Statement] 19th Anniversary of the Death of the Late Hwang Yu-mi & Day of Remembrance for Workers Who Died from Occupational Accidents in the Semiconductor and Electronics Industries
We remember the late Kim Chi-yeop, Lee Dae-seong, Park Su-jeong, and Lee Hwa-jeong.
We remember the twenty-three-year-old Hwang Yu-mi and all workers who died from occupational accidents in the semiconductor and electronics industries.
Until the day when the right to work safely—without dying—and with equality is secured,
SHARPS will continue its struggle.
Over the past year, eight workers who suffered occupational injuries lost their lives.
On March 26, 2025, Kim Chi-yeop, who had been working as a researcher at Samsung Semiconductor, took his own life. Despite suffering from severe depression caused by work-related stress and performance pressure, he was refused sick leave, and was driven to his death at the end of a desperate and hopeless situation. We will remember thirty-year-old Kim Chi-yeop, who was pushed to his death.
On May 26, Park Su-jeong, a female worker who had left her position as an operator at Samsung Semiconductor, passed away just three months after being diagnosed with malignant brain cancer.
On June 27, a female worker in her 50s who was working as a safety supervisor conducting pipe inspection at the construction site of Samsung Semiconductor's Pyeongtaek plant fell from a height of 8 meters and died. It was a death repeated in the exact same place and the exact same manner as one year prior.
On July 4, a subcontracted worker in his 50s who was manufacturing TMAH (tetramethylammonium hydroxide)—an acutely toxic substance used as a cleaning solution and developer in semiconductor production—died of cardiac arrest from acute poisoning.
On July 21, Lee Dae-seong, employed by Hanyang Engineering and working in chemical supply operations in the CCSS room at Samsung Semiconductor's Hwaseong plant, died of malignant brain cancer. The CCSS room is a place where a fatal acute poisoning accident previously occurred due to hydrofluoric acid leakage, and where workers with blood cancer have also died—all of the victims were subcontracted workers.
On August 17, Park Da-wi, who had worked as a female operator at Samsung Semiconductor's Hwaseong plant and was diagnosed with malignant brain cancer at the young age of only twenty-four in 2016, passed away after an eight-year battle with illness.
On December 23, a subcontracted worker in his 60s was fatally caught in machinery while inspecting OHT logistics automation equipment at Samsung Display's Asan plant.
And on February 24, 2026, Lee Hwa-jeong, who had worked as an in-house subcontracted worker at SK Hynix's Icheon plant and developed Parkinson's disease, passed away after a ten-year battle with illness.
The deaths that have been reported to SHARPS alone number eight. The deaths reported to SHARPS are only the tip of the iceberg. We pray for the souls of the workers who died from occupational accidents while working in the semiconductor and electronics industries.
Today, March 6, 2026, marks the 19th anniversary of the death of the late Hwang Yu-mi. Nineteen years of struggle over occupational diseases have brought about numerous changes. Many people have had their occupational injuries recognized, companies have established support and compensation schemes, and various institutional reforms have been made. Above all, the workplaces that were driving people to their deaths are being improved.
However, reports of illness and death from those who are sick continue to this day. The practice of denying occupational injury claims, which had regressed over the past several years, has not shown any clear signs of improvement, and the promised institutional reforms have yet to be realized. The right to know—which is essential for proving and preventing occupational injuries—is not sufficiently guaranteed. Occupational accidents involving workplace trainees are recurring, yet safety and health education is nowhere to be found in plans to cultivate the semiconductor and electronics workforce. The dangers that are increasingly being outsourced to lower and less visible levels are not being sufficiently communicated. The problems at workplaces that have relocated abroad in search of cheap wages and lax environmental safety and health regulations are also serious.
SHARPS will not stop fighting for the right to work without dying, the right to work safely and equally. We will continue forward together with our solidarity comrades, together with occupational injury victims, and together with workers.
March 6, 2026
Supporters for the Health And Rights of People in Semiconductor industry — SHARPS
<Profiles of Workers Who Died from Occupational Accidents in the Semiconductor/Display Industries>
2025.3.26 Late Kim Chi-yeop (b.1995, researcher)
Researcher at Samsung Semiconductor's Hwaseong plant. Shortly after joining, was assigned to an HBM competitiveness enhancement project team and suffered worsening depression and sleep disorders due to work-related stress and performance pressure. Mustered courage to apply for sick leave but was refused by the company. After completing a project presentation on March 19, ended his life by suicide (age 30).
2025.5.8 Late Park Su-jeong (b.1976, operator)
Joined Samsung Semiconductor's Giheung plant as an operator in 1994 and worked as an etching workshop operator for 10 years until 2004, then resigned. After living as a full-time homemaker, underwent treatment for chronic suppurative otitis media in 2019, then suffered from headaches before being diagnosed with a brain tumor (glioblastoma) in February 2025. Died three months later (age 48).
2025.6.27 Late [Name Withheld] (female, 50s, safety monitor/subcontractor)
Fell to her death from approximately 8 meters during piping inspection at the P4 construction site of Samsung Semiconductor's Pyeongtaek plant. Primary contractor Samsung C&T and the piping installation subcontractor neglected their duty to prevent accidents, leading to the fatal fall of the safety monitor.
2025.7.4 Late [Name Withheld] (50s, chemical production/subcontractor)
At Samyoung Sunhwa's Onsan plant, a subcontracted worker was exposed while injecting TMAH (tetramethylammonium hydroxide)—an acutely toxic substance used as a cleaning solution and developer in semiconductors and displays—into a drum, suffered cardiac arrest, and died 50 days later.
2025.7.21 Late Lee Dae-seong (age 42, chemical supply maintenance/subcontractor)
Employed by Hanyang Engineering and Hanyang CMS (in-house subcontractors), worked on chemical supply operations in the CCSS room at Samsung Semiconductor's Hwaseong plant. Was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2024 and died during treatment (age 42).
2025.8.17 Late Park Da-wi (age 33, operator)
Joined Samsung Semiconductor's Hwaseong plant in 2010 at age 18. Worked as a photo/fab-out process operator, then was diagnosed with a brain tumor (glioblastoma) in 2016 at age 24 and underwent treatment. After suffering from repeated recurrences, limb/face paralysis, and decline in motor, language, and cognitive functions, passed away on August 17, 2025, at age 33. (Recognized as occupational injury in 2021 after 871 days of delays.)
2025.12.23 Late [Name Withheld] (60s, automation equipment maintenance/subcontractor)
Was fatally caught in OHT logistics automation equipment during an inspection in the clean room at Samsung Display's Asan Campus 2.
2026.2.24 Late Lee Hwa-jeong (b.1961, subcontracted production worker)
A female in-house subcontracted worker at SK Hynix's Icheon plant performing semiconductor packaging and testing. Developed Parkinson's disease due to hazardous substances, electromagnetic waves, shift work, and other factors. Died after a 10-year battle with illness (age 65).