In Nov. 1970, at around 1:30 p.m. near the Kookmin Bank building in Cheonggyecheon, Seoul, cries pierced the air, “We are not machines!” and “Stop exploiting workers!” Moments later, a young man drenched himself in gasoline and set his body ablaze. Even in his final moments, he shouted, “Do not let my death be in vain!” That young man was Jeon Tae-il, who sacrificed himself to defend the most basic rights of workers.

  However, in 2025, the reality Jeon fought against remains largely unchanged. In 2022, a female worker at SPC’s SPL factory in Pyeongtaek was killed after being caught in a sauce mixer during a night shift. In 2023, a worker in his 50s died after being pulled into a dough machine at the Shany factory in Seongnam. Most recently, on May 19, 2025, another worker at the SPC’s Samlip plant in Siheung died after becoming trapped in a conveyor belt. Despite repeated fatal accidents amid concerns about poor safety management, the company has yet to propose meaningful or effective solutions.

  The problem of overwork persists as well. While the Labor Standards Act limits working hours to 40 hours per week with a maximum of 12 hours of overtime, many workplaces continue to operate in the shadows of legal loopholes. In Sept. 2025, SPC shifted from a 12 hours two shift system to a 8 hours three-shift system. Yet workers’ days off reduced and their wages fell, as the system still required 6 days of work per week. In Oct. 2025, another worker died from overwork. Calls for a 5-days workweek and improvements to low wages at SPC factories have long been raised, but the company has continued to defer action.

  This problem is not limited to SPC. In July 2025, a worker in his 20s employed at London Bagel Museum died in the company’s dormitory. In the week before his death, he was known to have worked more than 80 hours; for the previous three months, he reportedly averaged over 60 hours per week. While his family insisted it was a death from overwork, the company denied the claim, saying the facts has not been verified. Behind the scenes, however, the bereaved family was reportedly met with derogatory remarks such as “You are being immoral,” and “If you file for industrial accident compensation, we will reveal everything.” There were also reports that employees were instructed to remain silent in the immediate aftermath, triggering strong public backlash.

  Today’s labor conditions are not much better than those faced by young female workers who, decades ago, toiled from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., working 14 hours a day for meager pay. In some ways, the contradiction is even sharper now. Laws have advanced, and society’s sensitivity to labor rights has grown, yet the lives and dignity of workers on the ground still remain secondary. Corporate practices that exploit gaps in the law persist, and repeated deaths continue with little accountability. More than half a century after Jeon Tae-il’s sacrifice, even the most basic demand—to uphold the Labor Standards Act—has yet to be completely realized.

  To ensure that Jeon’s cry and these recurring tragedies are not repeated, society must confront corporations that place productivity above human life and implement strict, ongoing oversight of labor conditions. Nothing—not economic logic, not efficiency—can take precendence when a worker’s life is at stake.