[Reporter’s Notebook] Industrial Accident Hearing Ends with Only Reprimands

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] "Did you visit a shrine in Tokyo? Is this really okay?" (Noh Woong-rae, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker) "It was not a shrine, but a temple." (Choi Jung-woo, POSCO Chairman)

At the industrial accident hearing held on the 22nd, an unexpected controversy over shrine visits arose. Jeong Dae-taek, who has criticized Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol for over 10 years, claimed to have received a tip and has been spreading this content recently through the Blue House's national petitions and other channels, dragging the issue even into the industrial accident hearing room. During the hearing, Choi Jung-woo, POSCO Chairman, was mocked with remarks such as "Lumbar sprain injuries are mostly filed by insurance fraudsters" (Kim Woong, People Power Party lawmaker). The foreign CEO of Coupang was also criticized with comments like "The Korean CEO should also speak Korean" (Lim Jong-sung, Democratic Party lawmaker). The original purpose of the hearing?to find necessary measures to prevent workers from dying in accidents and to ensure safety at work sites?was nowhere to be found.

A hearing is originally intended to listen to diverse voices before making policy or legislative decisions, but in reality, it rarely functions properly. From a lawmaker’s perspective, they have only about 7 to 8 minutes to express their thoughts and ask pointed questions that can elicit desired answers. It rarely flows as a simple Q&A session because the witness or reference person’s answers can sometimes be longer than the lawmaker’s questions. Although it is a place to listen, it essentially becomes a place to speak. Since the hearing specifically summoned CEOs from places with frequent industrial accidents, the representatives, who were likely already feeling defensive, had no choice but to repeatedly respond with apologies and promises to do better in the future.

The hearing attracted attention because nine CEOs of large corporations with decision-making authority were forcibly summoned, and there was an expectation to reflect on the tragic deaths of workers at accident sites and create a new turning point. Perhaps it was because of the unforgettable memory of the 5th Republic hearings where the late lawmaker Roh Moo-hyun criticized the late Hyundai Group Chairman Chung Ju-young and became a star. Still, back then, the dialogue bore the appearance of sincere communication. If after nearly 30 years, in 2021, nearly seven hours of discussion ended with nothing but reprimands toward CEOs, that in itself would be a tragic outcome.

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