Ahead of the Plaque Unveiling Ceremony... Ministry of Employment Quietly Closes Ahn Cheol-soo's Serious Accident Punishment Act Case

Death incidents involving election campaign workers during Ahn's presidential candidacy
Ministry of Employment quietly closes investigation under Serious Accidents Punishment Act
"Judgment based on principles regardless of transition committee chair appointment"

Ahn Cheol-soo, Chairman of the Presidential Transition Committee, is holding a press conference with reporters on the 25th at the 'Press Dabang' in front of the Presidential Transition Committee in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The Ministry of Employment and Labor has been confirmed to have made a final decision not to apply the Serious Accidents Punishment Act to Ahn Cheol-soo, the head of the Presidential Transition Committee, one day before the committee's launch.

The Ministry had been reviewing whether to apply the Serious Accidents Punishment Act after a death occurred involving a campaign worker during Ahn’s presidential campaign. Coincidentally, the review was concluded the day before the transition committee’s inauguration ceremony. This has led to interpretations that the Ministry may have backed down in advance ahead of the official briefing.

A Ministry official stated on the 25th, "We concluded not to apply the Serious Accidents Punishment Act to Chairman Ahn and notified the Daejeon Employment and Labor Office, with the case closed on the 17th. However, separate investigations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act are still ongoing."

Chairman Ahn, who was the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, was involved in an incident on the 15th of last month in Cheonan, Chungnam, where two people?a campaign bus driver and a campaign worker?died from carbon monoxide poisoning during a campaign rally. This raised attention on whether the Serious Accidents Punishment Act would apply. If the law had been applied, Ahn, as the leader of the People’s Party, would have been considered a management responsible person and could have faced imprisonment for more than one year.

On the election day, the 9th, when reports emerged that "Chairman Ahn avoided the Serious Accidents Punishment Act," the Ministry denied the claim, stating that the case was being strictly reviewed. However, without any further announcements, the Ministry quietly closed the case the day before the transition committee’s inauguration.

This case sparked controversy due to unclear provisions in the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. The law applies only to workplaces with 50 or more employees, and although the People’s Party had more than 50 employees on the day of the accident, the average number of regular employees over the one month prior to the accident?used to determine the number under the Labor Standards Act?was below 50. After review, the Ministry decided to apply the Labor Standards Act accordingly.

A Ministry official said, "We wanted to reach a conclusion quickly, but it was somewhat delayed due to overlapping with other serious accident cases." Another official stated, "The decision was made based on principle, regardless of the appointment of the transition committee chairman."

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