Death from 'Alcohol Addiction' After 3 Consecutive Days of Dining... Court: "Work-Related Injury"

[Financial News] A court has ruled that the death of an office worker from acute alcohol poisoning after three days of consecutive company dinners should be recognized as a work-related injury.
According to the legal community on the 21st, the 3rd Administrative Division of the Seoul Administrative Court (Presiding Judge Choi Su-jin) ruled in favor of the plaintiff in a lawsuit filed by Mr. A's spouse against the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service to cancel the decision to deny survivor benefits and funeral expenses.
Mr. A, who was in charge of sales management in Mexico for the wireless business unit of Samsung Electronics, was found dead in the parking lot of his home in July 2022. The cause of death was acute alcohol poisoning.
Acute alcohol poisoning occurs when a large amount of alcohol is consumed in a short period, causing a rapid increase in blood alcohol concentration. It was found that Mr. A had been drinking at evening company dinners for three consecutive days before his death.
Mr. A's spouse claimed it was a work-related injury and applied for survivor benefits and funeral expenses, but when it was not accepted, a lawsuit was filed.
The company dinner the day before his death was found to have had the most significant impact on the acute alcohol poisoning, and whether this dinner could be recognized as work-related became a key issue. The costs of the previous two dinners were covered by company expenses, but the last dinner was paid for by Mr. A and other attendees.
Based on this, the corporation argued, "It was not an official event organized or directed by the employer, but a meal arranged for locals who were scheduled to depart the next day," claiming it was a "private gathering."
However, the court ruled in favor of the bereaved family, stating, "It is difficult to conclude that the meal was not work-related just because the deceased and others bore the cost."
The court cited several reasons, including that Mr. A had a work-related relationship requiring close cooperation with the locals, that a six-month long-term business trip to Mexico was scheduled for August of the same year, and that the meal cost was significant enough not to be considered a private social gathering.
Furthermore, the court explained, "Even if the drinking at the last dinner was the main cause, it can be assumed that the blood alcohol concentration increased further due to continuous drinking before the alcohol from previous dinners was fully metabolized," adding, "It cannot be ruled out that the drinking at previous dinners contributed complexly to the onset of acute alcohol poisoning."

jisseo@fnnews.com Seo Min-ji Reporter