Payment of Training Costs at Minimum Wage Level for Industrial Accident Workers' Disability Assessment up to 3 Years

Enforcement Decree Amendment of the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act Promulgated
Vocational Training Application Period Extended from 1 to 3 Years
Training Fees Paid at Minimum Wage Level
Simplification of Occupational Disease Determination Procedures

Officials from the Movement Headquarters for the Enactment of the Serious Accident Corporate Punishment Act performed 2,400 prostrations in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 5th, urging the enactment of a complete Serious Accident Act. The 2,400 prostrations represent the number of workers who die from industrial accidents each year. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The application period for vocational training for workers injured in industrial accidents will be extended from 1 year to 3 years after disability assessment. The procedure for determining occupational diseases will also be simplified.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that the amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act, containing these changes, will take effect from the 1st.

The vocational training system for industrial accident workers supports costs when workers with disabilities of grade 12 or higher take vocational training while unemployed.

Previously, only about 50% of the minimum wage was supported if more than one year had passed since the disability assessment date.

Now, if supported within 3 years, the training cost equivalent to the minimum wage can be provided.

The procedure for determining occupational diseases will also be eased. If, after a special examination, an opinion of "very high work-relatedness" is received, or after an epidemiological investigation, a judgment of "high work-relatedness" is made, the case will be exempted from review by the Occupational Disease Determination Committee.

Additionally, the subcommittee of the determination committee can immediately review and decide on expert judgments, speeding up the determination process.

Minister Lee Jae-gap said, "With this amendment, industrial accident insurance rehabilitation services will be expanded, and it will be possible to receive occupational disease determinations more quickly and easily. We will continue to improve the industrial accident insurance system going forward."

Industrial Accident Worker Vocational Training Program Guide. (Source: Ministry of Employment and Labor)

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