As heatwaves continue, the number of cases applying for work-related compensation due to heat illness is increasing. Last year, there were 90 applications for work-related heat illness claims, an increase of about four times compared to 2021, and as of July this year, 26 applications have been filed.
According to data submitted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor to the Climate, Energy, Environment, and Labor Committee on the 10th by Kim Ju-young, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, work-related heat illness claims increased from 23 in 2021 to 28 in 2022, 37 in 2023, 57 in 2024, and 90 in 2025. The number of approved cases also rose from 19 during the same period to 23, 31, 51, and 77, respectively.
As of July this year, 26 applications were filed, with 20 approved and 6 rejected. The rejection rate was 23.1%, the highest since 2021. However, this year's figures are based only on cases where first-round processing has been completed and do not include cases still under processing.
A Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service official explained, "Since it is based on first-round processing, only completed cases are included in the statistics," adding that "cases received in June and July this year that are still being processed have not yet been counted, so the number may increase in the future."
It was determined that the scale of work-related heat illness applications through August this year is not significantly different from the same period last year. The service explained that since applications related to heat illnesses occurring during the summer months will continue into September and October, the total number of applications for the year could change in the future.
Regarding the reason for the sharp increase in work-related heat illness claims last year, the government stated that it is difficult to explain with a single specific factor. A Ministry of Employment and Labor official explained that it needs to be viewed as part of an overall trend where work-related compensation applications themselves are increasing, leading to a rise in heat illness claims as well. As workers' awareness of workers' compensation insurance has increased, more cases are being filed for work-related injuries when they fall ill or get hurt.
However, it was also added that the number of hot weather days in 2025 increased by more than 10 days compared to the previous year, and the scope of application was expanded to include labor providers, which may have led to an increase in outdoor workers.
The number of cases handled for occupational diseases also increased. According to the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service, the number of occupational disease cases rose from 38,219 in 2024 to 50,096 last year. The Ministry of Employment and Labor and the service are taking measures for swift processing, including establishing a rapid response plan in September last year and operating a centralization center to reduce the time required for work-related compensation processing.
The average processing period for work-related heat illness claims was 53.0 days in 2021, 46.9 days in 2022, 57.2 days in 2023, 48.3 days in 2024, and 48.8 days in 2025. As of July this year, it was recorded at 61.1 days.
The service explained that it is difficult to interpret the longer processing period this year compared to last year as a special change. Since work-related heat illness claims do not have a large overall sample size compared to other occupational diseases, some long-term cases have a significant impact on the average. It was also added that variables such as age, occupation, and medical judgment vary by case, making it difficult to analyze specific causes based solely on processing time.
In particular, work-related heat illness claims are not automatically classified separately at the application stage. After receiving the work-related compensation application, cases are processed by distinguishing whether they are accident-related injuries or occupational diseases, and after processing is completed, the disease code is checked to classify them as cases corresponding to heat stroke or sunstroke.
In cases of rejection, major reasons cited include the absence of characteristic symptoms corresponding to heat stroke or sunstroke in medical records or failure to be recognized as a worker covered by workers' compensation insurance.
This data is based on the initial medical benefit processing standards of the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service and counts cases corresponding to the disease codes for heat stroke and sunstroke (T67). The counting criteria differ from general work-related accident occurrence statistics.
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