Lee Jae-myung: "The Icheon Logistics Warehouse Fire Is the Sewol Ferry of the Labor Field"

[Asia Economy (Seoul) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, evaluated the Icheon logistics warehouse fire as the Sewol Ferry disaster of the labor field. He argued that the central and local governments should share labor supervision authority and strictly punish large-scale man-made disasters.

At the "Industrial Accident Prevention Forum" held on the 29th at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul, Governor Lee said, "The reason for the high domestic industrial accident fatality rate is that although laws and regulations are well established, the benefits gained from violating the law are greater than the losses caused by punishment and sanctions," adding, "Criminal responsibility must be strictly imposed, and strong penalties must be applied to prevent any benefits. The most important thing is thorough violation monitoring by administrative agencies."

He continued, "The central government should set standards and share authority with local governments to ensure these standards are well observed," diagnosing, "If local governments take a more proactive approach, the industrial accident rate will be reduced by half."

He also added, "I ask for active interest from the National Assembly in revising labor laws and labor supervision authority."

Participants in the forum expressed strong agreement with Governor Lee's opinions.

Professor Lee Myung-gu of Eulji University stated, "There is no ruling or opposition party, nor labor or management, when it comes to safety," and suggested, "It is important to strengthen safety inspection capabilities, secure related government budgets, and solidify the cooperation system between the central and local governments."

Professor Gong Ha-seok of Woosuk University emphasized, "The direct cause of the Icheon fire was flames and toxic gases, but the essence is ultimately labor safety," and stressed, "The Ministry of Employment and Labor monopolizes labor supervision authority, but it should be shared with local governments and manpower should be supplemented to expand the safety net."

Labor attorney Yoo Sung-gyu of the Labor Health Solidarity said, "Recently, various methods such as delegation or sharing, not limited to the decentralization of labor supervision functions, are being considered," and revealed, "The most feasible alternative is the function sharing promoted by Gyeonggi Province."

Choi Myung-sun, Head of the Labor Safety Office at the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, proposed, "We need to acknowledge the limitations of the current supervision method, which relies solely on the Ministry of Labor's industrial safety inspectors, and legislate to strengthen the role of local governments in industrial accident prevention and enact the Serious Accident Punishment Act."

Im Jae-beom, Head of the Industrial Safety and Health Research Office at the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, emphasized, "The role and status of local governments are continuously increasing in all fields. The supervisory function for industrial accident prevention, including safety and health, must also be centered on local governments."

Im Young-mi, Director of Industrial Accident Prevention Policy at the Ministry of Employment and Labor, promised, "We will establish a legal basis in the Industrial Safety and Health Act for local governments to conduct on-site guidance and inspections, and strengthen cooperation between the Ministry of Employment and Labor and local governments by holding regional safety and health councils."

The province proposed to the government the introduction of a "Local Government Labor Police System" to allow local governments to share labor supervision authority held by the central government and the enactment of related laws to strictly punish employers responsible for serious accidents.