Government and Ruling Party Waver on Serious Accident Act... Uncertain Passage Within Current Parliamentary Term

Ministry of Justice: "Not a Single Proposal"
Democratic Party Has Not Yet Finalized Its Position
Disagreements Over Strengthening Punishments for Companies and Executives

Kang Eun-mi, Floor Leader of the Justice Party, Kim Mi-sook, mother of the late Kim Yong-gyun and Chairperson of the Kim Yong-gyun Foundation, and Lee Yong-gwan, father of the late PD Lee Han-bit, are picketing in front of the National Assembly Judiciary Committee Bill Review Subcommittee 1 meeting room on the morning of the 29th, urging the enactment of the Serious Accidents Corporate Punishment Act. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Confusion surrounding the so-called "patchwork law" version of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act (Serious Accidents Act), which has been going back and forth between the National Assembly and the government, is intensifying. Even the ruling party that proposed the bill has not been able to clarify its position, and the Ministry of Justice has taken an ambiguous stance, stating that the draft submitted to the National Assembly is neither "single" nor "final." It seems uncertain whether the legislation can be completed within this extraordinary session of the National Assembly.

From the beginning of discussions, whether a unified draft would be produced by the ruling party and the government has been controversial. A People Power Party official said in a phone interview with Asia Economy on the 30th, "If the Democratic Party wanted to finish quickly, they should have come up with a unified draft," adding, "Now that the government is only just preparing a draft, can the discussions proceed properly?" The Legislation and Judiciary Committee’s Bill Review Subcommittee 1 will continue deliberations on the Serious Accidents Act this afternoon.

The Ministry of Justice, which previously submitted the "government draft" consolidating opinions from government ministries to the National Assembly, is now passing the ball back to the Assembly. A Ministry of Justice official said, "The Legislation and Judiciary Committee did not ask for a unified draft but requested the compilation of opinions from ministries," adding, "Whether to gather additional opinions from other ministries and future steps will proceed according to the committee’s decisions."

This confusion stems from the Democratic Party’s failure to unify its stance between demands to uphold the original bill that strengthens corporate and executive responsibility for accidents and calls to soften it. The Ministry of Justice’s submission of the government draft has escalated extreme opposition to a similar level, putting the Democratic Party in a "dilemma." In fact, during a Democratic Party caucus meeting, opinions were divided between those who argued that the government draft undermined the purpose of the Serious Accidents Act and those who said that unconditional punishment is not the solution and that further revisions are necessary.

Accordingly, it has become uncertain whether the bill will be processed within this extraordinary session. Kim Tae-nyeon, floor leader of the Democratic Party, emphasized at the party’s top council meeting that day, "The Serious Accidents Act involves many contentious issues and requires in-depth review," adding, "I hope to complete the legislation within this session by holding meetings (of the subcommittee) every day if necessary. We will do our utmost to pass the Serious Accidents Act before the session ends on January 8." However, there appears to be a growing burden regarding the passage of a bill that mainly increases the burden on small-scale workplaces amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the other hand, the Justice Party, which demands the retention of the original bill, continued to strongly pressure the Democratic Party that day. Justice Party lawmaker Shim Sang-jung wrote on Facebook, "I request President Moon Jae-in to directly correct the government draft." Justice Party chief spokesperson Jung Ho-jin said at a briefing the previous day, "The patchwork government draft that undermines the purpose is problematic, but it is even more absurd that they have not prepared a unified draft," calling it "a clear dereliction of duty."

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