On the First Day of Kim Yong-gyun Act Enforcement... Korean Party Recruits 'Industrial Accident Concealment Whistleblower' Lee Jong-heon

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hye-min] The Liberty Korea Party recruited Lee Jong-heon, who blew the whistle on the concealment of industrial accidents, as their "fourth talent" ahead of the April 15 general election on the 16th.

On the morning of the same day, the Liberty Korea Party announced their "third recruitment of 2020" at the National Assembly and held a welcoming ceremony. This day was also the first day of enforcement of the revised Occupational Safety and Health Act, known as the "Kim Yong-gyun Act," which was amended to prevent the "outsourcing of risk."

Mr. Lee, while in charge of labor and general affairs at the pesticide and fertilizer manufacturer Farm Hannong's Gumi plant, discovered in June 2014 that industrial accidents had been concealed from 2009 to 2014 across seven plants nationwide, and reported this to the Gumi branch of the Daegu Regional Employment and Labor Office. As a result of the investigation, a total of 24 cases of industrial accident concealment were uncovered at Farm Hannong, and the Ministry of Employment and Labor imposed fines totaling approximately 154.8 million won.

Mr. Lee also served as an advisor on the Public Interest Whistleblower Support Committee under Moon Jae-in's Central Election Countermeasures Committee during the 2017 presidential election.

Mr. Lee said, "I thought a lot when I first received the offer. In a way, it was a party that whistleblowers would inevitably feel uncomfortable with, so I could not readily accept the offer," adding, "I felt sincerity through the party's repeated persuasion. No political party had ever announced an innovative plan to grant whistleblowers a 30% additional nomination score."

He stated, "(Whistleblowing) was not done because I am an exceptionally righteous and upright person. It was done according to my conscience," and expressed his aspirations, saying, "No matter what political life I lead in the future, I will fight with all my strength for a just and fair Republic of Korea, for the socially vulnerable, and so that workers can work healthily and safely without injury in their workplaces."

Meanwhile, Mr. Lee is the fourth recruit by the Liberty Korea Party, following North Korean human rights activist and defector Ji Sung-ho, the first Me Too figure in the sports world Kim Eun-hee, and polar explorer Nam Young-ho.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.