Lee Nak-yeon: "Enact the Serious Accident Corporate Punishment Act as Early as Possible"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, reaffirmed his determination to enact the Serious Accidents Corporate Punishment Act.

On the morning of the 10th, Lee posted on his Facebook, "Today marks the 2nd anniversary of the young worker Kim Yong-gyun, who died while working at the Taean Thermal Power Plant," and stated, "I will enact a law to prevent serious accidents and strengthen accountability as soon as possible."

He emphasized, "A society where tragedies occur repeatedly, where people leave for work in the morning and do not return in the evening, cannot be considered normal," adding, "The workplace should not be a place where lives are risked, but a place where people work warmly."

He continued, "I will deeply remember the words of the memorial committee on the 2nd anniversary of Kim Yong-gyun, 'So that no one dies while working, so that no one is discriminated against,'" and said, "I will never forget the earnest heart of Kim Yong-gyun’s mother, who is protesting in the National Assembly on the 2nd anniversary, appealing for the enactment of the 'Serious Accidents Corporate Punishment Act.' I will definitely create a society where labor is respected."

The Serious Accidents Corporate Punishment Act is one of Lee’s '15 Future Legislative Tasks.' In the political sphere, there have been criticisms that the Democratic Party’s submission of the amendment to establish the High-ranking Officials’ Crime Investigation Office (HOCI) and the 'Fair Economy 3 Laws' to the plenary session on the 10th might have delayed the enactment of the Serious Accidents Corporate Punishment Act.

Regarding this, Kim Jong-min, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, appeared on MBC radio on the morning of the same day and was asked whether the Serious Accidents Corporate Punishment Act would be passed within the current extraordinary session of the National Assembly. He answered, "Of course." He added, "The reason it was not passed this time is because it is a newly enacted law, not an amendment," and dismissed concerns by saying, "It is not amending an existing law but creating a new one, so the process takes a bit longer."

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