Ministry of Justice Establishes 'Legal Support Team' for Continuous Assistance to Serious Accident Victims

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The Ministry of Justice has decided to reorganize related organizations and establish a support system to promptly respond to and continuously assist victims affected by major accidents.

On the 20th, the Ministry of Justice announced that it will organize and operate a permanent Legal Support Team within the Korea Legal Aid Corporation. The organizational structure is to be completed before January next year, when the Serious Accidents Punishment Act comes into effect. This Legal Support Team is expected to play a role in swiftly providing relief and support to those affected by major accidents.

The support targets have been set as all victims regardless of whether they fall under the exemption criteria stipulated by the Serious Accidents Punishment Act.

A Legal Welfare Team will also be newly established under the Legal Support Team to handle legal consultations, advice, and non-litigation support tasks at the early stages of accidents. The Human Rights Bureau of the Ministry of Justice will oversee all legal support work related to major accident victims.

This measure was introduced after the Ministry of Justice’s Major Safety Accident Task Force (dedicated team) assessed over the past one year and three months that there were limitations in responding to damages caused by major accidents.

Until now, when major accidents such as natural disasters occurred, the Task Force supported victims through a temporary legal support team composed of the Ministry of Justice, the Legal Aid Corporation, Legal Home Doctor, and village lawyers. However, since it was not a permanent organization, there were limitations in rapid on-site response and professional consultation. Furthermore, because damages caused by major accidents directly affect citizens’ lives and bodies, with severe physical, psychological, and economic impacts, a permanent support system was deemed necessary.

According to the Ministry of Justice, as of last year, the number of deaths caused by industrial accidents in South Korea was 882, with the construction industry accounting for the highest proportion of industrial accident deaths (51.9%). By workplace size, over the past five years, most deaths (76.7%) occurred in small-scale workplaces with fewer than 50 employees.

A Ministry of Justice official stated, "We will do our best to ensure the prevention of safety accidents and strict law enforcement that aligns with public sentiment through continuous research and discussions, including analysis of related statistics and cases, and hosting academic conferences related to the enforcement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act."

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