Overturning an appeals court's decision, South Korea's Supreme Court says a family of a Samsung worker who died of brain tumor should be eligible for state compensation for occupational disease.
The ruling Tuesday on Lee Yoon-jung, who died at 32 after working at a Samsung chip factory for six years, reflects a shift in the handling of such cases in South Korea.
Workers used to have the onus of proving the cause of disease, but after years of campaigning by labor advocates to raise awareness about the challenges they face in getting information about chemicals used in manufacturing, courts sometimes have begun to rule in favor of workers.
The government-run Korea Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service, the defendant in the case, did not respond to requests for comment.
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