[Changes from the Second Half of the Year] Expansion of Industrial Accident Coverage for Special Employment Types Including Door-to-Door Salespersons... Benefits for 270,000 People

Asia Economy DB=Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] Starting next month, industrial accident insurance will also apply to five types of special-type workers (STWs), including door-to-door salespeople and freight truck owners.

The government published "Changes from the Second Half of 2020" on the 29th, which includes this information.

From the 1st of next month, five types of STWs?door-to-door salespeople, visiting instructors, rental product inspection personnel, home appliance installation technicians, and freight truck owners?will be mandatorily covered by industrial accident insurance.

Unless the workers themselves apply for exemption, they will be eligible for industrial accident compensation if they suffer work-related injuries, including those occurring during commuting.

There have been many criticisms that the scope of STWs protected by industrial accident insurance was somewhat limited, but this measure is expected to provide additional benefits to 274,000 people.

From December, artists will also be able to enroll in employment insurance.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that from December 10, artists who were previously in the blind spots of employment insurance will be included in the coverage, allowing them to receive unemployment benefits and maternity benefits.

In the second half of this year, commuting accidents occurring after September 29, 2016, will also be eligible for industrial accident benefits.

Previously, the Ministry of Employment and Labor amended the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act to recognize accidents occurring during commuting by ordinary routes and methods as industrial accidents starting January 1, 2018.

However, following a constitutional court ruling that deemed the discrimination against commuting accident victims before 2018 unconstitutional, the supplementary provisions were revised to recognize commuting accidents occurring from September 29, 2016, onward.

With this revision, victims who had accidents while commuting on foot, by bicycle, or using the subway after September 29, 2016, can now receive industrial accident compensation.

From October, special provisions protecting the safety of industrial field trainees under the Industrial Safety and Health Act will be enforced.

Safety and health obligations, supervision, and penalty regulations that applied to workers will now be applied equally to field trainees.

Asia Economy DB=Photo by Mun Honam munonam@

Additionally, as part of the response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the loan limits for livelihood stabilization funds for vulnerable groups will be increased.

The livelihood stabilization fund loan system includes eight types such as medical expenses, funeral expenses, parental care expenses, wage reduction living expenses, and small living expenses.

Among these, the loan limit for wage reduction living expenses will be temporarily increased from 10 million KRW to 20 million KRW until the end of this year (small living expenses from 2 million KRW to 5 million KRW).

Correspondingly, from July 1, the total loan limit per person for livelihood stabilization funds will be raised from 20 million KRW to 30 million KRW.

Furthermore, the budget for living expense loans for low-income workers, STWs, and other vulnerable groups will be increased by 100 billion KRW to expand support.

As part of COVID-19 measures, from the second half of the year, it will be possible to receive both disability employment incentives and employment retention subsidies simultaneously.

Previously, under the Employment Insurance Act, receiving employment retention subsidies disqualified recipients from receiving disability employment incentives, but this restriction has been eased through amendments to the Enforcement Decree of the Act on Promotion of Employment for Disabled Persons. The amendment will apply from the June disability employment incentive payments.

Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, under the government's health insurance coverage enhancement measures, health insurance will be expanded to cover eye and chest (breast) ultrasound examinations from the second half of the year.

Until now, despite the high cost-effectiveness of ultrasound examinations, insurance coverage was limited to four major severe diseases?cancer, heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, and rare incurable diseases?due to financial burden.

From next month, the eligibility for maternal and newborn health management service support will be expanded from households with income at or below 100% of the median income to those at or below 120%. This measure is expected to reduce the economic burden on approximately 23,000 additional mothers and their families.

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