12 Years After Sewol: Families' Long-Awaited Wish Fulfilled as Basic Act on Life Safety Passes National Assembly Plenary Session

Right to Safety for All Explicitly Stated
Families and Witnesses Defined as Victims
Foundation Laid for Policy Committee and Independent Investigation Agency

The Basic Act on Life Safety, a long-awaited initiative of the families of the Sewol Ferry disaster victims, has passed the National Assembly.

On May 7, the National Assembly passed the Basic Act on Life Safety during a plenary session. Out of 191 members present, 188 voted in favor, none opposed, and 3 abstained, allowing the bill to pass.

The Basic Act on Life Safety is legislation that defines the responsibilities of the state and local governments regarding disasters, accidents, and social tragedies. The bill explicitly states the "right to safety," which guarantees everyone the right to protect their life, body, and property from the risks of safety accidents and to live safely. It also defines not only the direct victims of safety accidents, but also their families, witnesses, and other related persons as "victims," and provides a legal basis to guarantee their rights.

On the 7th, at the first plenary session of the May extraordinary National Assembly held in the National Assembly, the Basic Life Safety Act was passed, and families of victims from large-scale disasters, industrial accidents, and social tragedies wiped away tears of joy. Photo by Yonhap News.

The main rights of victims include: ▲ the right to request searches for those whose fate is unknown; ▲ the right to request investigations into the causes of accidents and the appropriateness of responses by the state, as well as the right to participate in such investigations; ▲ the right to remedies such as compensation and indemnification; and ▲ the right to participate in follow-up projects related to safety accidents, such as memorial projects and community recovery initiatives.

The bill stipulates that the government must establish a comprehensive life safety plan every five years to enhance the right to safety. It also includes the establishment of a Life Safety Policy Committee under the President to deliberate and coordinate related matters. In addition, it calls for the creation of an independent National Safety Accident Investigation Committee under the Prime Minister to investigate large-scale safety accidents and to set regulations related to safety systems.

This bill, which is one of the key policy tasks of the Lee Jaemyung administration, was first proposed in 2020 during the Moon Jae-in administration, but was automatically scrapped when the term of the 21st National Assembly ended. Subsequently, in the 22nd National Assembly, 77 members from the ruling and allied parties jointly sponsored the bill in March last year, reviving its progress.

The Democratic Party of Korea also pledged to expedite the enactment of the Basic Act on Life Safety on April 16 last month, marking the 12th anniversary of the Sewol Ferry disaster.

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