Ministry of Environment Includes 'Humidifier Disinfectant Consultative Body Formation' in Work Plan... Will It Accelerate Resolution?
Measures to Ensure Effectiveness and Stabilize Relief Funds Included
The Ministry of Environment has announced the formation of a 'Humidifier Disinfectant Incident Consultative Body' as a major task plan for this year.
According to the Ministry of Environment on the 11th, this year's work plan includes forming a social consultative body to resolve the humidifier disinfectant incident and revising the Humidifier Disinfectant Damage Relief Act. Specifically, it contains measures to secure the effectiveness of mediation through the consultative body and stabilize the damage relief funds.
In October 2021, 13 victim groups and 6 companies formed a mediation committee and proposed a mediation plan in April the following year, but no conclusion was reached. This was because Oxy Reckitt Benckiser (Oxy) and Aekyung Industrial, who must bear 60% of the victim support funds, did not agree to the mediation plan. The mediation plan aimed to provide survivors with a minimum of 25 million KRW to a maximum of 535 million KRW, and bereaved families of the deceased with at least 200 million KRW to a maximum of 400 million KRW.
The biggest difference between the consultative body promoted by the Ministry of Environment this time and the previous mediation committee is whether the government participates as a party. Previously, the government only played a supporting role externally, such as recommending the mediation committee chairman at the request of victim groups and companies. This was because the government’s position at the time was that the state had no direct responsibility for the humidifier disinfectant incident.
However, Minister of Environment Kim Wan-seop expressed willingness to apologize for the humidifier disinfectant incident and recently promised in his New Year's address, "We will form and operate a social consultative body for the ultimate resolution of humidifier disinfectant damage and prepare legal and institutional improvement measures."
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The government is also considering ways to share the victim relief funds. The Ministry of Environment explained, "We are studying institutional improvement measures such as improving the payment system for corporate contributions and government subsidies to ensure stable operation of damage relief funds."
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