Disagreement Between Ruling and Opposition on Item Scope
Democratic Party and Justice Party Announce Bill to Expand Item Coverage
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] The opposition party has expressed its intention to expand the scope of the ‘Cargo Truck Safety Freight Rate System’ to ‘special vehicles + α.’ The ruling and opposition parties, which have shown disagreements over the extension of the safety freight rate system, are expected to clash over the issue of defining the scope as well.
Jin Seong-jun, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea and head of the Cargo Workers’ Livelihood Protection Team under the People’s Livelihood Priority Practice Group, said in a phone interview with this outlet on the 16th that regarding the expansion of the safety freight rate system’s applicable items, "We plan to propose a bill by the end of this week or early next week," adding, "(The applicable items) will not be limited to the existing special vehicles."
The core of the discussion is how far the applicable items should be defined in the law. Jin’s office is reviewing the inclusion of new items such as steel products in the bill, along with the parts excluded from the previously applied items like cement and containers. Jin explained, "There is a practical issue of whether it is possible to list all cargo and goods items in the world. Also, if it covers not only large companies but also very small-scale cargo owners, there is a question of whether those responsible for safe operation can actually manage it," emphasizing careful consideration in selecting the items.
There also appears to be disagreement over the method of amending the law. One approach is to include it in the enforcement decree to allow flexible operation depending on the issue and target, and the other is to specify detailed matters in the law itself. A representative from Jin Seong-jun’s office explained, "The Cargo Solidarity’s request is to expand the items as much as possible, and since we have promised to expand the items, we are discussing ways to specify them in the law as much as possible," adding, "Other items that cannot be clearly specified will be delegated to the enforcement decree." Earlier in April, Democratic Party lawmaker Park Young-soon proposed a bill to designate and announce the existing items by presidential decree through the ‘Partial Amendment to the Cargo Truck Transportation Business Act.’
The Justice Party also supported the Cargo Solidarity’s claims by announcing plans to propose an amendment including the expansion of applicable items. The amendment, prepared by Justice Party lawmaker Shim Sang-jung, aims to apply the safety freight rate system to ‘special types of workers’ defined in Article 125 of the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act. While it shares the same intent as the Cargo Solidarity’s claim to expand application by industry items, it differs in that it bases the criteria on labor workers. A representative from Shim’s office explained, "The safety freight rate system is a minimum social safety net for special employment workers whose labor rights are not guaranteed, and the intention is to apply it to vehicles of those who need this safety net," adding, "We are considering expanding it to items such as steel, hazardous materials, automobiles, grains, and parcel delivery businesses."
The ruling People Power Party has expressed a cautious stance on expanding the applicable items. Within the party, voices suggest that the system should be applied based on actual work rather than cargo items. People Power Party spokesperson Park Hyung-soo said, "Adding items imposes a tremendous burden on the industry side, especially cargo owners, who are already opposing it," and dismissed the idea by saying, "We cannot decide by listening to only one party’s position." He further added, "It is a matter that should be discussed and decided by forming each standing committee and considering all parts agreed upon by the Cargo Solidarity and the government." Once the formation of the National Assembly is complete, discussions among committee members from each party, such as the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, are expected to take place.
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