Workbear재주넘는곰
대법원 95누16769

Revocation of Non-Approval of Medical Care Benefits (요양불승인처분취소)요양불승인처분취소

Decided1996. 02. 09. Court대법원Employer won
AI-generated English translation (summary, key points, decision summary and full text) for reference only — not an official translation and without legal effect. The Korean original below is authoritative.
AI Easy read — AI summary of this decision
AI-generated summary for reference only — the Korean original below is authoritative.

A worker was injured in an accident while commuting home from work using his own personal vehicle, and subsequently applied for industrial accident compensation (산재보상). The Korean Supreme Court ruled that because the employer did not provide or control the means of transportation used, the accident could not be recognized as a work-related injury (업무상 재해). As a result, the worker's claim to overturn the non-approval of medical care benefits was dismissed.

Key takeaways
  • CaseA worker was injured in a car accident while driving his own personal vehicle home from work.
  • OutcomeThe court ruled the injury was not a work-related accident because the employer did not provide or control the transportation used.
  • LessonCommuting accidents are only covered as work-related injuries if the employer directly provided and controlled the transportation, such as a company vehicle or shuttle service.
Issues
  • Whether an accident occurring during a worker's commute qualifies as a work-related injury (업무상 재해)
  • Whether an accident occurring during a commute not under the employer's control or management can be recognized as an industrial accident (산재)
Key reasoning

Under Korean labor law, a work-related injury (업무상 재해) must occur while the employee is under the employer's control and supervision (지배·관리) during the course of performing work duties. During an ordinary commute, employees generally choose their own method and route of travel, meaning the employer does not exercise control over that process. Therefore, standard commuting accidents are not automatically treated as work-related injuries. For a commuting accident to qualify as a work-related injury, the employee must have been using transportation provided and controlled by the employer, such as a company shuttle bus. Since the worker in this case used his own personal vehicle rather than employer-provided transportation, the court found the employer had no control over the commute, and thus the injury did not qualify as a work-related accident.

Summary of Decision (English, AI translation)

[1] "Occupational accident" as referred to in Article 3(1) of the former Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act (산업재해보상보험법) (before its full amendment by Act No. 4826 of December 22, 1994) means an accident that occurs, based on the employment contract between the worker and the business owner, in the course of performing the relevant work duties or the ordinary activities incidental thereto under the control and management of the business owner, and that is attributable to such duties. Accordingly, a worker commuting to and from work generally has the freedom to choose the method and route of commuting, and thus cannot be regarded as being under the control or management of the employer. Therefore, for an accident occurring during commuting to be recognized as an occupational accident, it must fall under circumstances in which the worker's commuting process can be deemed to be under the employer's control and management, such as where the worker uses transportation provided by the employer or uses transportation equivalent thereto as arranged by the employer.

Full text (English, AI translation) 3,140 chars

[Plaintiff, Appellant]

[Defendant, Appellee] Korea Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service

[Judgment Below] Seoul High Court Decision 94Gu17361 rendered October 10, 1995

[Order]

The appeal is dismissed. The costs of the appeal are to be borne by the Plaintiff.

[Reasoning]

The grounds of appeal submitted by the Plaintiff's litigation representative are examined.

1. Upon examining the evidence relied upon by the court below, the fact-finding of the court below is justified and acceptable, and it cannot be said that there was any illegality in the process, such as insufficient reasoning, violation of the rules of experience or the rules of evidence, or failure to exhaust deliberation resulting in erroneous fact-finding, as argued in the grounds of appeal. Therefore, this ground of appeal is without merit.

2. An occupational accident under Article 3(1) of the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act (산업재해보상보험법) refers to an accident that occurs due to the work performed by an employee, based on an employment contract with the business owner, while under the control and management of the business owner, in the course of carrying out the relevant work duties or the ordinary activities incidental thereto. Since an employee commuting to and from work can generally choose the method and route of commuting, such commuting cannot be deemed to be under the control or management of the employer. Accordingly, in order for an accident occurring during commuting to be recognized as an occupational accident, it must fall under circumstances in which the employee's commuting process can be deemed to be under the control and management of the employer, such as where the employee uses a vehicle or other means of transportation provided by the employer, or is made to use a means of transportation equivalent thereto (see this Court's Decisions 95Nu6946 rendered September 15, 1995; 92Nu13073 rendered January 19, 1993; and 92Nu16805 rendered May 11, 1993).

If the facts are as found by the court below, it cannot be said that Nonparty 1, the branch manager, provided the vehicle in question to the Plaintiff as a means of commuting transportation by instructing the Plaintiff to commute using the vehicle or by expressly or impliedly approving such use. Therefore, the Plaintiff's commuting process using the vehicle cannot be deemed to have been under the control and management of Haitai Confectionery Co., Ltd. (해태제과 주식회사). The measure of the court below, which held that the accident suffered by the Plaintiff does not constitute an occupational accident, is justified, and there is no illegality of misapprehension of the legal principles concerning occupational accidents as argued in the grounds of appeal.

This ground of appeal is without merit.

3. Therefore, the appeal is dismissed, and the costs of the appeal are assessed against the losing party. This judgment is rendered as set forth in the Order by the unanimous opinion of the Justices participating in the decision.

Justice Ji Chang-kwon (Presiding Justice)
Justice Cheon Kyung-song (Justice in charge)
Justice An Yong-deuk
Justice Shin Seong-taek

【판결요지】

구 산업재해보상보험법(1994. 12. 22. 법률 제4826호로 전문 개정되기 전의 것) 제3조 제1항 소정의 업무상의 재해라 함은 근로자가 사업주와의 근로계약에 기하여 사업주의 지배, 관리하에서 당해 근로업무의 수행 또는 그에 수반되는 통상적인 활동을 하는 과정에서 이러한 업무에 기인하여 발생한 재해를 말하므로, 출·퇴근 중의 근로자는 일반적으로 그 방법과 경로를 선택할 수 있어 사용자의 지배 또는 관리하에 있다고 볼 수 없고 따라서 출·퇴근 중에 발생한 재해가 업무상의 재해로 인정되기 위하여는 사용자가 근로자에게 제공한 차량 등의 교통수단을 이용하거나 사용자가 이에 준하는 교통수단을 이용하도록 하여 근로자의 출·퇴근 과정이 사용자의 지배·관리하에 있다고 볼 수 있는 경우에 해당되어야 한다.

【참조조문】

구 산업재해보상보험법(1994. 12. 22. 법률 제4826호로 전문 개정되기 전의 것) 제3조 제1항( 현행 제4조 제1호 참조)

【참조판례】

대법원 1993. 1. 19. 선고 92누13073 판결(공1993상, 745), 대법원 1993. 5. 11. 선고 92누16805 판결(공1993하, 1730), 대법원 1995. 9. 15. 선고 95누6946 판결(공1995하, 3435)

【주문】·【이유】 전문 1,136자 · 펼쳐 보기

【원고,상고인】

【피고,피상고인】 근로복지공단

【원심판결】 서울고법 1995. 10. 10. 선고 94구17361 판결

【주문】

상고를 기각한다. 상고비용은 원고의 부담으로 한다.

【이유】 원고소송대리인의 상고이유를 본다.

1. 원심이 취사한 증거관계를 살펴보면, 원심의 사실인정은 정당한 것으로 수긍이 가고, 그 과정에 소론과 같이 이유불비, 경험칙 또는 채증법칙을 위반하거나 심리를 다하지 아니하여 사실을 잘못 인정한 위법이 있다고 할 수 없으므로 논지는 이유 없다.

2. 산업재해보상보험법 제3조 제1항 소정의 업무상의 재해라 함은 근로자가 사업주와의 근로계약에 기하여 사업주의 지배, 관리하에서 당해 근로업무의 수행 또는 그에 수반되는 통상적인 활동을 하는 과정에서 이러한 업무에 기인하여 발생한 재해를 말하므로, 출·퇴근 중의 근로자는 일반적으로 그 방법과 경로를 선택할 수 있어 사용자의 지배 또는 관리하에 있다고 볼 수 없고 따라서 출·퇴근 중에 발생한 재해가 업무상의 재해로 인정되기 위하여는 사용자가 근로자에게 제공한 차량 등의 교통수단을 이용하거나 사용자가 이에 준하는 교통수단을 이용하도록 하여 근로자의 출·퇴근 과정이 사용자의 지배·관리하에 있다고 볼 수 있는 경우에 해당되어야 할 것인바 ( 당원 1995. 9. 15. 선고 95누6946 판결, 1993. 1. 19. 선고 92누13073 판결, 1993. 5. 11. 선고 92누16805 판결 참조), 사실관계가 원심이 인정한 바와 같다면 영업소장인 소외 1이 원고에게 이 사건 차량을 사용한 출·퇴근을 지시하거나 이를 명시적 또는 묵시적으로 승인함으로써 이 사건 차량을 원고의 통근용 교통수단으로 제공하였다고 할 수 없으므로 이를 이용한 원고의 통근과정이 해태제과 주식회사의 지배·관리하에 있다고 할 수 없다고 하여 원고가 입은 재해는 업무상 재해에 해당하지 않는다고 본 원심의 조치는 정당하고 거기에 소론과 같은 업무상 재해에 관한 법리오해의 위법이 있다고 할 수 없다.

논지는 이유 없다.

3. 그러므로 상고를 기각하고 상고비용은 패소자의 부담으로 하여 관여 법관의 일치된 의견으로 주문과 같이 판결한다.

대법관 지창권(재판장) 천경송(주심) 안용득 신성택

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