DPK: "5% Operating Profit Fine for Companies with Frequent Industrial Accidents... Whistleblower Reward System Introduced"

Announcement of Legislative Tasks by Industrial Accident Prevention Task Force
Upcoming Amendments to the Industrial Safety and Health Act and Related Laws

On November 17, the Democratic Party of Korea announced its intention to pass legislation within this month to strengthen companies' legal obligations-such as economic sanctions in the event of industrial accidents and the introduction of a safety and health disclosure system-and to guarantee the rights of workers affected by industrial accidents.

On the 17th, Kim Jooyoung, head of the Democratic Party's Industrial Accident Prevention Task Force, spoke at the 'November Regular National Assembly Industrial Safety Legislative Promotion Agenda' held at the National Assembly. 2025.11.17 Photo by Kim Hyunmin

The Democratic Party's Industrial Accident Prevention Task Force held a presentation on the "November Regular National Assembly Industrial Safety Legislative Promotion Agenda" at the National Assembly on the same day, deciding to process nine items, including the introduction of the safety and health disclosure system, within this month. Since its establishment in July, the Industrial Accident Prevention Task Force has inspected on-site safety conditions and sought improvements in laws and systems through discussions with management, labor, and government officials. Amendments to the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act, the Employment and Industrial Accident Insurance Premium Collection Act, and the Industrial Safety and Health Act were identified as top priorities to be addressed at the National Assembly this month.

The amendment to the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act will include the introduction of a state-appointed representative system for industrial accident cases. The plan is to provide legal services to vulnerable workers, such as low-wage employees, who face difficulties in proving occupational diseases. In addition, a new provision will be established so that the right to survivors' benefits related to unpaid insurance payments can be inherited. Currently, if a worker who died due to an accident and their spouse have both passed away, there is no regulation allowing the right to unpaid insurance benefits to be transferred to legal heirs, resulting in cases where the benefit is not inherited. An amendment to the Employment and Industrial Accident Insurance Premium Collection Act will also be proposed, stipulating the cancellation and recalculation of insurance premium reductions if a serious accident occurs during the recognized period of accident prevention activities. The aim is to prevent superficial accident prevention activities at worksites and ensure effectiveness.

The Industrial Safety and Health Act will also be amended to introduce an administrative fine system. This is intended to provide incentives for employers to proactively establish and implement industrial accident prevention measures by imposing economic sanctions on those responsible for multiple or repeated fatal accidents. The bill will stipulate that if three or more workers die within a year due to violations of safety and health measures, an administrative fine of up to 5% of operating profit may be imposed. A whistleblower reward system will also be introduced to provide rewards to those who report violations of the Industrial Safety and Health Act.

The party also plans to introduce a safety and health disclosure system to guarantee workers' right to know and to encourage companies' efforts to prevent industrial accidents. This would establish an obligation for business owners and heads of public institutions to disclose information related to safety and health, such as the status of industrial accidents, safety and health management systems, the scale of safety and health investments, and measures to prevent recurrence. In addition, a new requirement will be established for the appointment of honorary industrial safety supervisors, whereby a representative of the workers may recommend someone from the workplace to participate in industrial accident prevention activities as an honorary supervisor.

The government and public sector's role in preventing industrial accidents will also be strengthened. In response to calls for the establishment and operation of a body to ensure the consistency and sustainability of industrial accident prevention measures, the task force included in the amendment the establishment of a "Safe Workplace Committee" within the government, which would be responsible for reviewing basic plans and policies on industrial safety and health. The amendment will also require the public release of accident investigation reports and expand the scope of accident cause investigations to further strengthen prevention and response systems. The scope of accident cause investigations will be expanded from only serious accidents to include cases where investigations into causes such as fires, explosions, and collapses are deemed necessary.

Kim Jooyoung, head of the task force, emphasized, "Protecting the lives and safety of the people is the state's foremost duty," adding, "Not only is the spread of a safety culture important, but so are effective sanctions, such as the public release of accident investigation reports and the imposition of administrative fines for multiple or repeated fatal accidents."

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