"Please Enforce Harsher Punishments" Will the 'Serious Accident Punishment Act' Pass?... Workers Sigh in Front of the National Assembly [Reporter Han Goes]

Workers' Hunger Strike for the Serious Accident Corporate Punishment Act in Front of the National Assembly
Urging Enactment of Related Bills, Full-Body Prostration in Front of the National Assembly

On the afternoon of the 14th, a fasting protest site was set up in front of the National Assembly building in Yeouido, Seoul, to urge the prompt passage of the "Serious Accident Corporate Punishment Act." Photo by Seunggon Han hsg@asiae.co.kr.

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] "A person died, and such a light punishment is just unacceptable, isn't it?"

On the 14th, the sit-in protest urging the passage of the 'Serious Accident Corporate Punishment Act' (Serious Accident Act) held at the National Assembly building in Yeouido, Seoul, was as frozen as the sluggish reality of the bill's passage. In fact, the temperature that afternoon was minus 9 degrees Celsius, with a wind chill well below minus 10 degrees. Despite these conditions, workers continued their hunger strike for the 8th day to push for the passage of the 'Serious Accident Act.'

The biting wind and public indifference seemed familiar. However, the regret over the so-called 'Late Kim Yong-gyun Act' failing to pass the National Assembly was inevitable. Workers met at the protest site that day unanimously raised their voices, saying, "They died working for the company, but it cannot end with just a fine."

The 'Serious Accident Act' views large-scale industrial accidents in companies not as the result of individual workers' illegal acts but as a complex outcome of △ the absence of corporate risk management systems and △ a safety-insensitive organizational culture, and it contains provisions to strengthen △ employer responsibility and corresponding punishments.

The bill was originally introduced by the late Roh Hoe-chan, a Justice Party lawmaker, in April 2017. Since being submitted to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee's plenary session in September 2017, it has been pending for three years. The core of the bill is criminal punishment for employers. If casualties occur due to a company's violation of safety and health obligations, the employer and management officials are subject to criminal punishment, and the corporation is fined.

Additionally, if casualties occur due to the negligence of public officials responsible for supervising workplaces or public facilities, the bill imposes imprisonment of at least one year or fines ranging from 30 million to 300 million won, thereby strengthening the responsibilities of both companies and the responsible public officials.

On the afternoon of the 14th, a candlelight vigil was held in front of the hunger strike site for the passage of the 'Serious Accident Corporate Punishment Act' in front of the National Assembly building in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Seunggon Han hsg@asiae.co.kr.

Regarding the reason for proposing the bill, it pointed out, "The current criminal law system induces managers responsible for corporate safety management systems to underestimate the risks of accidents, ultimately increasing the risk of accidents throughout society." It added, "Several foreign countries such as the UK and Canada have introduced 'Corporate Manslaughter Laws' that hold management and corporations criminally liable for fatal accidents, reflecting this reality."

However, the bill has failed to pass the National Assembly for several years. There have been continuous claims from companies that the bill is too harsh. In addition, adjustments to the scope of related bills are ongoing. The Democratic Party's Policy Committee is reportedly considering excluding small business sectors such as restaurants, karaoke rooms, and convenience stores from the bill's application during the COVID-19 situation, arguing that applying the Serious Accident Act's punishments to self-employed small merchants imposes excessive obligations.

It is also reported that a four-year grace period for applying the bill is being considered for individual business owners or workplaces with fewer than 50 employees, provided that safety-related systems are established.

As a result, workers expressed frustration, questioning whether the '180-seat supermajority' Democratic Party has no interest in labor-related bills at all. A worker in his 40s met at the hunger strike protest said, "The government and ruling party promised to pass related laws and impose strong punishments on employers. But that promise has yet to be fulfilled," strongly criticizing. He continued, "Meanwhile, workers are continuously being pushed aside. I don't know how far or until when we have to be pushed aside. It's despairing," he vented.

He added, "I was disappointed to see other related laws being handled in the regular National Assembly session. Is there any law more urgent than this?" He criticized, "The most important thing is the workers in our society. Without workers, society cannot function properly." He then added, "We are just asking to establish minimum safety measures."

On the afternoon of the 14th, a worker continues a hunger strike at the hunger strike site set up in front of the National Assembly building in Yeouido, Seoul, demanding the prompt passage of the "Serious Accident Corporate Punishment Act." Photo by Han Seung-gon hsg@asiae.co.kr.

Another worker on hunger strike said, "I think they are watching the companies' reactions," and added, "There must be various voices within the Democratic Party, and I believe this is why the bill's passage is delayed."

Meanwhile, Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party, visited the Justice Party's hunger strike site in front of the National Assembly main building at 3 p.m. that day and reiterated, "We will speed up (the legislation)" and "We will review it as concisely as possible."

Lee said, "Since this is a new law being created and it involves a wide range of related fields, even with focused deliberation, it will take some time. We are internally preparing a draft," he said.

The Justice Party has been on hunger strike for four days as of that day. Workers protesting on the street in front of the National Assembly have been on hunger strike for eight days, continuing into the ninth day on the 15th.

Previously, the Justice Party pressured Lee Nak-yeon by saying, "You have said enough. Now please speak with actions," urging the enactment of the law. Justice Party spokesperson Jang Tae-su pointed out in a statement that afternoon, "At the 100-day press conference after Lee Nak-yeon's inauguration, when asked about the Democratic Party's stance on the enactment of the Serious Accident Corporate Punishment Act, he said, 'I think I have said about ten times that we will enact it.'"

Spokesperson Jang added, "It sounds like he is saying, 'You've already said enough, why are you asking again?' If he said so, why did the reporters, who understand Korean well, ask again? Why are the parents of the late Kim Yong-gyun and the late Lee Han-bit, and Justice Party floor leader Kang Eun-mi on hunger strike? It's because they are only hearing words. Aren't they asking whether words and intentions are the same?" he criticized.

The Non-Regular Workers' Stop Now Joint Struggle members are performing a full-body prostration in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 14th, urging the enactment of the Serious Accident Corporate Punishment Act.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, on that day, non-regular workers dressed in white mourning clothes came to the National Assembly in the biting wind performing 'Ochetuji.' Earlier, the Civil Society Non-Regular Workers Joint Action held a 'Ochetuji March' for four nights and five days from the 10th to that day to mark the second anniversary of the death of worker Kim Yong-gyun at the Taean Thermal Power Plant. Ochetuji is a Buddhist term referring to a prostration method where five parts of the body?the two elbows, two knees, and forehead?touch the ground.

With this movement, they started from Guui Station in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, and arrived in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido. That subway station is where Kim, an outsourced subcontracted worker (indirectly employed) who was repairing a screen door alone on the inner loop platform on May 28, 2016, was struck and killed by a departing train at the age of 19. When asked if the Ochetuji was difficult, they said, "This is for saving the workers who die at a rate of seven per day. We believe in this. It's okay." They arrived in front of the National Assembly around 6 p.m. that day and urged the passage of the 'Serious Accident Act.'

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