[Yeouido Interview] Former Firefighter Lawmaker... Legislation from the 'Life-Saving Scene'

Interview with Oh Young-hwan, Democratic Party Lawmaker
Focusing on Legislation Related to Firefighting and Safety
Striving for Practical Nationalization of Firefighters

[Asia Economy reporters Naju-seok and Park Jun-yi] Oh Young-hwan, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea and a former firefighter, has overwhelmingly proposed laws related to safety and firefighting over the past two and a half years. This was driven by a sense of mission to solve the problems he encountered "on the scene saving lives." Oh, who has achieved significant progress in improving safety and firefighting-related systems, expressed his determination to strive for the practical nationalization of firefighters.

In an interview with Asia Economy held at the National Assembly on the 30th of last month, when asked if his main legislative activities were focused on safety and firefighting, Oh opened up by sharing the background of his entry into politics. He said, "During my 10 years of saving lives, I saw too many deaths that might have been prevented if laws or systems had been better adapted to the field," adding, "I wondered why such dangerous materials (for example, urethane foam and sandwich panels vulnerable to fire) continued to be used, and why designs were made in ways that inevitably led to deaths."

He continued, "I hoped that at least one expert on firefighting or safety would become a member of the National Assembly so that related bills could be legislated promptly," and explained, "(Entering politics) these tasks were assigned to me as a mission, and I have been working on them."

Oh Young-hwan, member of the Democratic Party of Korea./Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Oh explained that he has achieved considerable institutional improvements so far. He said, "The Firefighter Presumption Act, which improves the system so that firefighters who suffer disabilities or death from inhaling toxic gases during firefighting do not have to prove work-relatedness to receive compensation, had not passed or even been discussed for over five years, but it was passed last year. Also, the Fire Investigation Act, which allows scientific investigation into the causes of fires and had been strongly demanded for 10 years, was enacted," adding that many other fire prevention-related laws he proposed have also passed the National Assembly.

He said, "Laws that seemed unlikely to pass for four years were processed," and explained, "Perhaps thanks to persuading other lawmakers by going out on the ground, the laws were passed faster than expected."

Despite these legislative achievements, Oh emphasized that firefighters who have only formally become national employees must be practically converted into national employees. He said, "The unfortunate reality is that while people expect greater safety as firefighters become national employees, in reality, only their status changes, command authority remains subordinated to the mayors and governors, and budgets are still tied to local governments," explaining, "True unification as national employees is limited in reality."

To solve this problem, he came up with a clever solution. In February last year, Oh proposed a package of related law amendments, including the ‘Special Account for Firefighting Financial Support,’ to achieve the practical nationalization of firefighters. Much of the legislative logic was based on arguments previously made by members of the People Power Party. Oh said, "Since this concerns government organization, it might be a difficult law for opposition lawmakers," but introduced, "The law was prepared based on the logic that former People Power Party lawmaker Lee Chae-ik, who was the chairman of the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee, used when advocating for firefighter nationalization. We plan to persuade not only opposition but also ruling party lawmakers with the logic of properly nationalizing firefighters."