Minister Kim Younghoon: "Serious Industrial Accidents Rise in March-April... Focused Management of Small-Scale Workplaces"

Kim Younghoon, Minister of Employment and Labor, announced plans to strengthen inspections of small businesses and introduce a prevention system utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) in order to reduce industrial accidents.

On March 16, at the “Industrial Safety Enhancement Agency Heads Meeting” held at the Sejong Government Complex, Minister Kim stated, “As the number of serious industrial accidents increases every year from March to April when the weather gets warmer, I urge each regional office to respond with heightened vigilance.”

The meeting was attended by the Minister, the head of the Industrial Safety and Health Headquarters, the heads of 48 regional offices nationwide, and industrial safety inspectors. They discussed major accident case analyses and industrial accident prevention policies. The meeting was conducted in a public format, with industrial safety inspectors directly presenting accident cases and participating in discussions.

Mentioning the recent achievements of industrial accident reduction policies, Minister Kim said, “Last year, we announced the ‘Comprehensive Labor Safety Measures’ and strengthened the institutional foundation for industrial accident prevention, including increasing the number of industrial safety inspectors by 1,200.” He also added, “This year, we plan to focus on strengthening inspections and support for small and micro-sized businesses, in cooperation with local governments.”

Kim Younghoon, Minister of Employment and Labor, attends the Emergency Economic Ministers Meeting held at the Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 11th, making remarks related to retirement pensions. March 11, 2026. Photo by Yongjun Cho.

He went on to point out inadequate safety management at worksites, saying, “Since taking office, I have conducted unannounced inspections at various workplaces, including construction sites and logistics companies, but there are still sites where even basic safety measures such as installing safety railings are not being followed.”

He also stressed the necessity of data-based management for industrial accident prevention. Minister Kim noted, “An analysis of fatal accidents over the past three years by time of day shows that 45% occurred between 9-11 a.m. and 1-3 p.m. If we incorporate AI into the industrial accident prevention system to analyze the data, we can identify high-risk workplaces and significantly enhance preventive effectiveness.”

The government aims to solidify the downward trend in serious industrial accidents through these measures. Minister Kim stated, “Recently, the trend in the number of serious accidents is turning downward. We will continue this momentum and make this year the starting point for reducing Korea’s industrial accident rate to the OECD average.”

He also emphasized strict responses to concealing industrial accidents or interfering with compensation. He said, “We must ensure that no industrial accident is concealed and that workers do not miss out on fair compensation. With regard to Coupang, where there have been recent allegations of fatal accidents and concealment of industrial accidents, we have initiated inspections starting today.”

During the meeting, prevention measures were also discussed, focusing on accident cases that frequently occur at worksites, such as falls during solar panel installations and forklift collisions.

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