Ruling Party Fails to Reach Conclusion on Serious Accident Corporate Law in General Assembly... "Concerns Over Presumed Causality and Special Punishment for Public Officials"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] The Democratic Party of Korea, which held a policy caucus on the 17th to enact the Serious Accidents Corporate Act, ultimately ended the meeting without reaching an agreement on the legislation. It is reported that the party failed to narrow down opinions on the scope of the ‘presumption of causation provision’ and the ‘special punishment for public officials.’

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Baek Hye-ryun, the ruling party’s floor whip on the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee, told reporters after the caucus, “Various opinions were expressed, and it was decided to respect the discussions of the standing committee and the policy committee for the final deliberation.”

Baek said, “There were many opinions that the presumption of causation provision was excessive,” adding, “A compromise opinion was raised to find parts where causation can be presumed.” This provision allows holding the company responsible through presumption even if the business owner cannot prove that they caused the serious accident.

When asked by reporters whether there were any opposing opinions among the members who participated in the discussion, he replied, “All members agreed on the necessity and justification of the legislation, but there were differences on specific issues,” adding, “There was an opinion that the focus should be on safety rather than punishment.”

He also revealed that regarding the provision to punish public officials responsible for safety management and licensing, “There was an opinion that the scope of the special cases is too broad and could cause administrative problems.”

Regarding the plan to postpone the application of the Serious Accidents Corporate Act to small-scale businesses for four years, Baek said, “There was not much discussion.” On the direction to exclude small business owners and self-employed individuals from the punishment targets, he said, “There was an opinion that the scope of multi-use facilities is too broad. However, there was no immediate proposal to reduce the scope, and it was decided to leave the discussion to the standing committee.”

He added, “There was consensus on handling the bill within the session, and Floor Leader Kim Tae-nyeon decided to actively engage in negotiations with the opposition party due to negotiation issues,” emphasizing, “Since the ruling and opposition parties have entered a cooling-off period, the schedule of the subcommittee will be discussed after negotiations between the floor leaders. Since Joo Ho-young, the floor leader of the People Power Party, mentioned the passage of the Serious Accidents Corporate Act, we will advance the discussions.”

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