92 safety, labor violations found at food service firm Ourhome

SEOUL, Nov. 9 (Yonhap) -- Ninety-two cases of safety and labor standard violations have been found at food service company Ourhome Co., the labor ministry said Monday following an inspection prompted by the deaths of two workers at one of the firm's plants.

Of the total violations, 53 cases concerned industrial safety, while 39 were related to labor standards, the ministry said after inspecting nine Ourhome plants nationwide.

In response, the ministry said it plans to send 13 cases to the prosecution for potential indictment and slap a fine of 86.3 million won (US$63,800) over 37 cases. Corrective action has been ordered for the remaining 42 incidents.

The violations included continuing the use of conveyor belts that had not undergone safety checks, not holding or belatedly holding special training classes for conveyor belt workers at six of the nine plants, and failing to install covers or protective fences as part of tofu-making or food mixing processes.

There were also cases of illegal worker dispatches between Ourhome's plants and partner companies, and workers being not paid or underpaid for overtime or holiday work, according to the ministry.

The two killed workers died in April 2025 and June 2026, respectively, after both were caught in machines at an Ourhome plant in Yongin, just south of Seoul.

Ourhome, a unit of conglomerate Hanwha Group, is a leading supplier of ready-to-eat meals and food ingredients, primarily serving companies and schools.

Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon demanded "fundamental reforms" from Hanwha, saying repeated fatal accidents and the discovery of multiple safety and labor standard violations at its units, including Ourhome and Hanwha Aerospace, showed the company was failing to fulfill its social responsibilities.