Justice Party "Strong Regret Over Government's Serious Accident Act Proposal... Reflects Business Interests"

Baek Hye-ryun, Chairperson of the Legislation Review Subcommittee 1 of the National Assembly Judiciary Committee, is attending the Legislation Review Subcommittee 1 meeting held at the National Assembly on the 29th, discussing the enactment of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act with Lee Yong-gwan, father of the late PD Lee Han-bit, Kim Mi-sook, mother of the late Kim Yong-gyun and director of the Kim Yong-gyun Foundation, and Kang Eun-mi, floor leader of the Justice Party. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] The Justice Party expressed strong regret over the government's revised proposal on the Serious Accident Punishment Act.

Kang Eun-mi, the floor leader of the Justice Party, stated at the party meeting on the 29th, "The government's revision is merely a way to evade responsibility. We express strong regret," and criticized, "It is the result of actively reflecting the interests of the business community while turning a blind eye to the numerous voices demanding the protection of the people's lives and safety." She added, "This is a double blow to me and the bereaved families who have been fasting and continuing a cold sit-in protest at the National Assembly for 19 days."

She pointed out that the responsibility for serious accidents was limited from management executives to directors in charge of safety and health, saying, "This is no different from the current Industrial Safety and Health Act, which requires a safety and health management officer. It clearly contradicts the purpose of holding management executives strictly accountable and preventing serious accidents through substantial measures."

She also viewed that the government proposal excluded direct obligations for management executives. Kang expressed concern, "It could narrowly limit responsibility to the serious accident prevention department, allowing management executives to once again evade accountability for accidents, and the punishment for serious accidents will become a game of passing the buck."

She further noted, "In addition to the previously raised concern about exempting workplaces with fewer than 50 employees from this law, extending the exemption to workplaces with fewer than 100 employees reduces the application from 1.2% of all businesses to only about 0.5%, further shrinking its scope."

Kang concluded, "The Justice Party strongly regrets the government proposal and urges the enactment of a proper law to protect the lives and safety of the people."

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