On 21/9, the Seoul Administrative Court ruled the death of a Samsung Electronics employee a work-related incident after he attended three consecutive "hoesik" (after-work drinking gatherings with colleagues, common in South Korean workplace culture).

The victim, a marketing manager responsible for overseas partners, was found dead in his car in an apartment parking lot in 7/2022. An autopsy revealed acute alcohol poisoning.

He had attended three dinners in three days. The first was with a client, the second hosted by a senior executive, and the third was a welcome dinner for two new international hires joining an overseas branch.

The company paid for the first two, while the third, organized by the manager and his team, was partially paid for with his personal credit card.

The Korea Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service initially denied compensation and funeral expenses, arguing the last dinner was a private gathering. The family then filed a lawsuit.

The court determined that building relationships with local staff was part of the manager's responsibilities, as he was about to begin a long-term assignment in Mexico the following month. "His partial payment for the dinner doesn't negate its work-related nature," the court stated.

Given the context, the judge recognized the difficulty of refusing drinks. The dinner's approximately 1 million won (over 18 million dong) cost also argued against it being a casual social gathering.

The judge emphasized the cumulative effect of three nights of excessive drinking, noting that alcohol from previous gatherings might not have been fully metabolized, increasing blood alcohol content.

The court ordered the compensation agency to pay benefits and funeral expenses to the family.

Tue Anh (*Korea Herald*)