'The Better Future' and 'Minpyeongryeon'... Reform Groups within the Democratic Party Urge Serious Accident Punishment Act in Succession

Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is delivering a greeting at the special advisory group appointment ceremony held at the National Assembly on the 18th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] Reform-oriented groups within the Democratic Party have consecutively demanded the prompt legislation of the Economic 3 Laws (Commercial Act, Fair Trade Act, and Financial Group Integrated Supervision Act), the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, and the launch of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office (HOCI) within this year.

The Democratic Party's policy opinion and political action group 'The Better Future' held a press conference on the 18th to make this call. The group includes about 50 lawmakers such as Woo Sang-ho, Woo Won-shik, Jin Sun-mi, and Yoon Kwan-seok.

Regarding the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, they emphasized, "It is absolutely necessary to protect workers' lives," adding, "Industrial accidents such as the 2017 Hyundai Heavy Industries argon gas suffocation death, the 2018 Taean Thermal Power Plant crushing accident, and this year's fire accident at the Hanik Express logistics warehouse construction site that claimed as many as 38 lives reflect the reality of our society that has not changed for 50 years since the martyr Jeon Tae-il."

They pointed out that about 2,400 workers die annually from industrial accidents, which amounts to seven deaths per day. 'The Better Future' stated, "To protect workers' lives and create safe workplaces, institutional safety measures must be designed within companies, and criminal penalties must be possible for violations, making the Serious Accidents Punishment Act a minimum safety device to prevent deaths."

Regarding the 'Economic 3 Laws,' they said, "A sound market order can only be established by fundamentally preventing the damages suffered by minority shareholders due to the arbitrary actions of corporate owners," adding, "It really must change now. To drastically innovate Korea's economic structure and fundamentally reform the market structure, the passage of the Fair Economy 3 Laws in the regular National Assembly session is urgent."

They continued, "The People Power Party is consistently obstructing and trying to derail the launch of the HOCI. The Democratic Party must swiftly move forward without hesitation, carrying the people's wishes."

On the same day, the Democratic Peace and Unification Alliance (Minpyeongryeon), a group within the Democratic Party associated with the late Kim Geun-tae, also held a press conference making similar claims. They stated, "If the original HOCI Act is impossible, a revised bill should be finalized within this year as an alternative," and emphasized, "Voices are being raised as if the Fair Economy 3 Laws and Serious Accidents Punishment Act will ruin companies. Such fearmongering must not undermine or cause regression in the principles of reform legislation."

Woo Won-shik, the representative of Minpyeongryeon, told reporters, "Of course, while handling the Serious Accidents Act, the Industrial Safety and Health Act can also be strengthened. However, because of the spirit embodied in the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, it must be maintained." When asked by reporters, "The leadership has stated they will not adopt a party stance; will you try to persuade them?" he replied, "I will do so. What I am doing now is persuading them."

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