Man electrocuted by 6,900 volts in Samsung’s Hungarian factory: South Korean accused disappears

Three years after a Hungarian electrician was nearly killed by a high-voltage electric shock at Samsung’s battery plant in Göd, the criminal case meant to establish responsibility is at risk of quietly grinding to a halt. The South Korean supervisor charged in connection with the accident has failed to appear in court and is believed to have left the country, leaving the victim facing the prospect that no one will ever be held to account.

A near-fatal accident at Samsung’s Göd factory

In October 2022, Attila Magyari, then 30, was working on high-voltage electrical cabinets at the Samsung factory site in Göd, north of Budapest, when 6,900 volts surged into a cable he was handling. The resulting explosion left him with life-threatening injuries and severe burns. He was airlifted to hospital by helicopter, where doctors managed to save his life.

“They didn’t even ask if I survived”

The physical recovery took more than a year. The professional and personal consequences have proved longer-lasting still. After a year on sick leave, Magyari was dismissed from his job. Speaking to RTL News, he said his employer never contacted him after the accident. “They didn’t ask whether I survived, whether I was left disabled, or whether they could help in any way. Nothing. Absolutely nothing,” he said.

A criminal investigation that barely moved

Almost immediately after leaving the hospital, Magyari filed a criminal complaint. What followed, according to his lawyer, was a protracted and repeatedly suspended investigation. It took nearly two years for prosecutors to identify a suspect and bring charges against a South Korean national who had worked as a shift supervisor at the site.

The accused fails to appear, and may have left Hungary

That long-delayed progress now appears to be unravelling. The preparatory court hearing had to be cancelled after the accused failed to appear. Hungarian media report that he is no longer in the country, a development that may have decisive legal consequences.

A new law that blocks trials in absentia

Under a legislative amendment that came into force on 1 January this year, Hungarian courts are no longer permitted to conduct criminal trials in absentia if the accused is at an unknown location. In practice, this means proceedings can be suspended indefinitely.

Why compensation is now out of reach

“This change in the law has led to a situation where, if the defendant’s whereabouts are unknown, the criminal trial cannot be conducted in their absence,” said Attila Karakas, Magyari’s lawyer. As a result, the victim’s legal team is also unable to submit a civil claim for compensation within the criminal proceedings.

If the supervisor does not reappear within five years — the statutory limitation period for the offence — the case will lapse entirely. “If he does not turn up, the case will become time-barred after five years,” Karakas said, adding that the consequences of the accident would then be borne by the victim alone.

Arrest warrant issued against Samsung supervisor

An arrest warrant has now been issued against the accused, and a new preparatory hearing has been scheduled for April. Whether that hearing can take place at all depends on whether Hungarian authorities are able to locate the man in question.

Magyari was employed through a subcontractor, a common arrangement in large-scale industrial construction projects. Trade unions and labour experts have long warned that such structures can blur lines of responsibility when accidents occur, making it harder for injured workers to seek redress.

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