First among Basic Local Governments and Fourth Nationwide, Korea Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service Directly Managed Industrial Accident Infrastructure
Specialized Rehabilitation Process from Early Care to Return to Work for Industrial Acciden
Gumi City in Gyeongbuk has attracted an outpatient rehabilitation center operated directly by the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service under the Ministry of Employment and Labor, becoming the first basic local government and the fourth nationwide to do so.
This achievement is the result of Gumi City's proactive administrative efforts. Recognizing the lack of industrial accident medical infrastructure in the Gyeongbuk region, which has hindered workers' access to rehabilitation treatment, the city sought solutions and actively pursued the establishment of an outpatient rehabilitation center equipped with a specialized rehabilitation process from the early recovery stage to return to work for industrial accident workers.
Industrial accidents require active treatment through specialized rehabilitation in the early stages following acute care. However, the Gyeongbuk area lacked a Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service-operated industrial accident medical institution, making the attraction of such a center especially urgent. Gumi City secured 3 billion KRW in national funding for 2024 to build a specialized outpatient rehabilitation center for industrial accident workers, which is expected to greatly aid the physical recovery and vocational and social reintegration of Gumi citizens and industrial accident workers in the Gyeongbuk region.
Notably, as Gumi City was the first to be designated a national industrial complex, providing specialized rehabilitation services to industrial accident workers there holds significant symbolic value. Furthermore, this is welcome news for workers in Gumi, recently designated as a defense industry innovation cluster and a semiconductor specialized complex, representing a proactive administrative effort that also considers workers' health.
Recently, applications for industrial accident claims related to noise-induced hearing loss, a work-related disease, have increased, causing workers to wait several months for special evaluations of work-relatedness. Now, residents of Gyeongbuk can receive assessments of work-relatedness, disability diagnoses, and various return-to-work programs at a nearby outpatient rehabilitation center. The city is also reviewing active support measures to ensure the efficient operation of public medical institutions under national and provincial governments.
Going forward, the city plans to hold meetings with the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service, the project stakeholders, to discuss specific matters related to the center's establishment. They will recruit medical personnel, including about 30 specialists such as rehabilitation medicine doctors, nurses, and physical therapists, and provide various industrial accident services in cooperation with the Daegu Industrial Accident Hospital.
Mayor Kim Jang-ho stated, “Securing national funding for rehabilitation services, which are less profitable and thus avoided by private hospitals, to provide high-quality medical care and return-to-work programs for industrial accident workers is highly meaningful.” He added, “With the designation of the defense industry innovation cluster and semiconductor specialized complex, we will focus administrative efforts not only on economic revitalization but also on supporting the health of workers.”
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