Plant Manager Sentenced to Prison for Aiding Overtime... Emphasis on Management Responsibility for Long Working Hours

Three years ago, Mr. A, a clerical worker in his 20s at an auto parts factory in Ulsan, died. The court found that the manager's criminal liability was established, determining that the fact Mr. A was assigned to production duties between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. two months before his death affected his death.

The Ulsan District Court sentenced the factory manager, who was tried on charges of violating the Labor Standards Act, to six months in prison. The court held the manager responsible for knowing about the early morning work—stating he told Mr. A, "Thank you for your hard work staying up all night"—and for failing to properly verify working hours and the intensity of the workload.

This ruling is a rare case in which a manager, rather than a business owner, was sentenced to prison for violating the 52-hour workweek system.