The Public Officials Union Firefighters' Labor Union Delivers 13,279 Signatures to the Democratic Party Urging the Introduction of the Presumed Work-Related Injury System

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] The Korea Federation of Trade Unions National Fire Safety Officials Labor Union (Chairman Hong Suntak) delivered a petition to Song Young-gil, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea (Incheon Gyeyang-gu Eul), and Assemblyman Oh Young-hwan (Gyeonggi Uijeongbu-si Gap) at 4 p.m. on the 29th.

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Although the number of cases of cancer and rare diseases among firefighters at disaster and accident sites is increasing, under the current Civil Servant Disaster Compensation Act, if a firefighter working in a hazardous or dangerous environment contracts a disease or suffers disability or death due to that disease, the civil servant or their bereaved family must prove a clear causal relationship between the work and the disaster to be recognized as a work-related injury.

Due to this unreasonable current system, firefighters and their families, who lack medical knowledge and information, endure significant time and financial costs through litigation to be recognized as having a 'work-related injury,' or they give up applying altogether and bear the medical expenses themselves, suffering mental, physical, and economic hardships.

Accordingly, the Firefighters' Union compiled and submitted a nationwide petition signed by 13,279 firefighters urging the introduction of a 'presumption of work-related injury system,' whereby if a civil servant contracts a disease, it is fundamentally recognized as a work-related injury, and the state is responsible for proving the causal relationship with the work.

Chairman Hong Suntak stated, "I am here representing firefighters nationwide. I request that the party make efforts to create an environment where firefighters, who dedicate themselves on the front lines for public safety, can work diligently. Establishing a presumption of work-related injury system in the Civil Servant Disaster Compensation Act will be the first step."

Song Young-gil, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said, "Assemblyman Oh Young-hwan and I jointly proposed the Civil Servant Disaster Compensation Act in 2020, but I regret that its processing has been delayed. I also attended the memorial service for fallen firefighters held at Daejeon National Cemetery on November 20. Since firefighters have a relatively high proportion of hazardous duties, the party will actively work to ensure that the state bears the burden of proof regarding the causal relationship of injuries sustained during official duties."

Assemblyman Oh Young-hwan, a former firefighter, said, "The case of the late firefighter Kim Beom-seok, who was diagnosed with angiosarcoma and died in 2014 while undergoing treatment and litigation to be recognized as a work-related injury, sparked serious interest in the presumption of work-related injury system. Although related legislation was submitted to the 20th National Assembly, it was not sufficiently discussed and was automatically discarded. In November 2020, I reintroduced a partial amendment to the Civil Servant Disaster Compensation Act, known as the presumption of work-related injury law, which was submitted to our Public Administration and Security Committee in February 2021. However, the Ministry of Personnel Management opposed its processing citing fairness issues. Nonetheless, together with Leader Song Young-gil, I will strive to have it processed promptly in the January extraordinary session of the National Assembly."

Hwang Sun-woo, vice chairman of the Firefighters' Union, said, "Although firefighters have become national employees, in reality, authority over office work, budget, and personnel remains with local governments, making it a 'half-baked' nationalization. This is regrettable, and like police officers, the budget and other matters should be independently managed. This also needs to be improved."

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