Minister of Employment, at the first meeting, states "Strict action on Pyeongtaek Port industrial accident violating the Industrial Safety Act"

Minister of Employment and Labor An Kyung-duk presiding over the Employment and Labor Crisis Response Task Force meeting held on the 10th at the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Ahn Kyung-duk, the newly appointed Minister of Employment and Labor, stated at his first meeting after taking office on the 10th, "There was a tragic accident recently at Pyeongtaek Port where a 23-year-old young man lost his life," adding, "The Ministry of Employment and Labor will conduct a thorough investigation to identify the cause of the accident and will strictly handle any violations of the Industrial Safety and Health Act."

Minister Ahn made these remarks at the first Employment and Labor Crisis Response TF meeting since his inauguration. He said, "We will conduct urgent inspections of workplaces with similar operations within this month and, together with related ministries, prepare improvement measures to ensure that similar accidents do not recur."

At the meeting, Minister Ahn reviewed the current status of major employment policies and discussed response directions. He said, "Above all, we will expand job opportunities focusing on the youth," and added, "We will do our best to create private sector jobs through joint efforts with related ministries to spread a second venture boom and foster new industries such as the BIG3 sectors?system semiconductors, bio-health, future cars?and DNA (Data, Network, AI)."

He continued, "Through the National Employment Support System, we will provide customized employment support and work experience opportunities, and strengthen vocational training in promising fields such as digital technology to support the rapid entry of young people into the labor market."

Minister Ahn emphasized, "We will strengthen direct job creation and employment and livelihood support, and continue to support joint efforts by labor and management to maintain employment," adding, "We will promote the expansion of employment insurance coverage, enhance the effectiveness of the National Employment Support System and employment incentives, so that the employment safety net can serve as a pillar for the people's jobs."

Regarding the response to industrial accident fatalities, he announced plans for urgent inspections of container handling workplaces within the port authorities of Pyeongtaek, Incheon, Busan, Ulsan, and Yeosu Gwangyang, stating, "We will guide the increase of safety managers at high-risk workplaces where accidents occur, and proactively utilize safety and health diagnoses and orders to establish improvement plans to ensure that workplace safety and health systems operate effectively."

Minister Ahn also said, "Starting from July, the 52-hour workweek system will be expanded to all workplaces with five or more employees," adding, "We will supplement systems such as flexible and selective work hours, and support settlement measures including consulting and wage support." He concluded, "The government will devote all efforts to supporting a full employment recovery and creating better workplace environments."

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