Ministry of Employment: "It's too early to judge the Serious Accident Punishment Act in the 'An Campaign Bus Accident'... Fact-finding in Progress"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Lee Jun-hyung] The Ministry of Employment and Labor has launched an investigation into the accident in which carbon monoxide leaked from the campaign bus of Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, resulting in the deaths of two people, including the driver and a party member.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 16th that labor inspectors have been dispatched to the accident site to ascertain the circumstances of the incident. Since the day before the accident, the ministry has been verifying the employment relationships of the victims. On the morning of the 16th, a joint on-site investigation was conducted together with the police. A ministry official explained, “The joint on-site investigation is being conducted as a continuation of the investigation carried out on the day of the accident,” adding, “We are checking for violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the applicability of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act.”

Earlier, at around 5:24 p.m. the previous day, driver Mr. A and campaign committee official Mr. B were found unconscious in their seats on Ahn’s presidential campaign bus and were transported to the hospital but died. It was reported that they were already in cardiac arrest when discovered.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor is keeping open the possibility of applying the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. However, it is still too early to determine whether the act applies or whether the incident falls under a serious industrial accident or a serious citizen accident. A serious industrial accident refers to an accident in which a worker dies during work or operations. A serious citizen accident refers to an accident in which a non-worker dies due to defects in specific raw materials or manufactured products, public facilities, or public transportation. If the deceased party member was not receiving wages, they may be classified as a victim of a serious citizen accident.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor plans to investigate, together with the police, whether safety rules and other guidelines were properly communicated. The People’s Party stated in an emergency briefing the previous day, “We heard that the (screen installation) company had previously notified that when operating the LED, carbon monoxide could be generated, so the doors must be kept open during operation as a safety rule.”

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