Over 4,000 Small Business Owners Gathered in Suwon... "Urgent Need to Postpone the Serious Accident Punishment Act"

"Small Business Owners Unaware if Law Applies to Them"
Urging Passage of Grace Period Bill at National Assembly Plenary Session on 29th

On the 14th, over 4,000 small and medium-sized business owners gathered in one place to raise their voices for the postponement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act for workplaces with fewer than 50 employees.

On the 31st of last month, small and medium-sized enterprise groups held a rally in front of the National Assembly condemning the failure to postpone the Serious Accidents Punishment Act for workplaces with fewer than 50 employees.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Fourteen organizations, including small construction groups and the Small and Medium Business Council, announced that they held a resolution rally at Suwon Messe in Gyeonggi Province, urging the postponement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act for workplaces with fewer than 50 employees. The 14 organizations included the Korea Federation of SMEs, the Korea Specialty Contractors Association, the Korea Mechanical Equipment Construction Association, the Korea Women Entrepreneurs Association, the Korea Venture Capital Association, and the Korea Venture Business Association.

In their statement, they pointed out, “More than 80% of small manufacturing and construction companies are not prepared for the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, and small business owners are unaware whether the law applies to them,” adding, “If the owner of a small construction company faces criminal punishment, the business will be at risk of closure, and workers will lose their jobs.”

They continued, “At small business sites, people say they would rather close their businesses than operate under the risk of going to prison,” emphasizing, “Prevention should take precedence over punishment in the Serious Accidents Punishment Act.”

Furthermore, they stated, “We have even promised not to request any further extensions if the law’s application is postponed for just two years,” urging, “The National Assembly should promptly pass a bill to postpone the Serious Accidents Punishment Act for workplaces with fewer than 50 employees for two years.”

The resolution rally was attended by over 4,000 small construction workers and small business owners, who voiced the difficulties faced in small business sites due to the enforcement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act for workplaces with fewer than 50 employees. A safety manager from a small construction company said, “As punishments become stricter, the increasing paperwork at the site may lead to neglect of actual safety management.” Another small business owner explained, “No business owner, including myself, wishes for employees to get injured,” adding, “To effectively prevent accidents, the law needs to be postponed to allow sufficient preparation time.”

Yoon Hak-su, president of the Korea Specialty Contractors Association, also said, “Small and micro businesses value the lives and safety of their workers more than anyone else,” and added, “We need time to prepare and ensure that the Serious Accidents Punishment Act is applied in line with its original purpose of securing workers’ safety rights.”

Kim Ki-moon, president of the Korea Federation of SMEs, urged, “Even surveys targeting the general public show higher support for postponing the Serious Accidents Punishment Act,” and called on lawmakers, “Please ensure the postponement bill is passed at the National Assembly plenary session on the 29th so that politics does not hinder the economy.”

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