Korea Federation of SMEs and Korea Employers Federation, Discussion on Advanced Legislation for Industrial Accident Prevention

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Hyewon] The Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business and the Korea Employers Federation jointly held a legislative task discussion forum for the advancement of industrial accident prevention on the 2nd.

Seo Seungwon, Executive Vice President of the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business, said in his greeting on the day, “The importance of strengthening safety is fully recognized by the SME sector, but the Serious Accidents Punishment Act overly emphasizes employer responsibility and punishment, causing significant controversy over excessive legislation. There is particular concern that SMEs, rather than large corporations, will mainly be subject to punishment. It is now time to strengthen prevention-centered policies that block causes to prevent accidents from actually occurring in the field.”

Kim Yonggeun, Executive Vice President of the Korea Employers Federation, said, “To effectively reduce fatal accidents, South Korea must now shift the paradigm of industrial safety policies to a prevention-centered approach like advanced countries. Since the amended Industrial Safety and Health Act has only recently been implemented, it is reasonable to discuss the introduction of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act after a mid- to long-term evaluation of the application status of the amended Industrial Safety and Health Act.”

Lee Geunwoo, Professor of Law at Gachon University, who presented on the topic of ‘Legal Issues of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act,’ pointed out, “Criminal punishment should only be applied under very strict conditions, and the constitutionality of the means cannot be justified solely because the purpose of the legislation is legitimate.”

Jung Jinwoo, Professor of Safety Engineering at Seoul National University of Science and Technology, presented on the topic of ‘Problems of Industrial Accident Prevention Policies and Paradigm Shift,’ stating, “The Serious Accidents Punishment Act overall does not align with safety principles and legal principles, and it is far from effective accident prevention and field operability. From a comparative law perspective, it is also composed of content lacking universality and systematicity.”

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