Five Major Economic Organizations Including Sangui Urge Postponement of Serious Accident Punishment Act for Workplaces with Fewer Than 50 Employees

KCCI, HKGCCI, KCCI, KITA, and MJE jointly issue statement at National Assembly

Major economic organizations have repeatedly urged for a postponement of the application of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, which will be enforced on workplaces with fewer than 50 employees starting from the 27th.

Managers are conducting a safety inspection at an apartment construction site in Gyeonggi-do. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Korea Employers Federation, Korea Federation of Employers, Korea International Trade Association, and Korea Federation of Medium-sized Enterprises issued a joint statement on the afternoon of the 23rd at the National Assembly Communication Hall, calling for a postponement of the application of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act to workplaces with fewer than 50 employees.

These organizations stated, "Considering that over 830,000 small and micro enterprises with fewer than 50 employees have not been able to prepare for the enforcement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act due to manpower and financial difficulties, we have repeatedly urged for a postponement of the law’s application. However, with only four days left before the law takes effect, there has been no discussion of the bill in the National Assembly," expressing their "deep disappointment and regret."

They continued, "Although we promised not to request any further postponement after a two-year extension of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act and to actively cooperate with government measures, the ruling party, the Democratic Party of Korea, has added conditions for the extension, including the establishment of the Industrial Safety and Health Agency and budget increases within this year."

These organizations emphasized, "The fundamental purpose of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act is not to punish business owners but to reduce serious accidents through industrial accident prevention," adding, "Rather than strengthening punishments through the enforcement of the law, the most realistic approach to preventing accidents is to allow workplaces to find improvement measures themselves during the postponement period."

"If the Serious Accidents Punishment Act is enforced as it stands, many concerns such as business closures and worker unemployment will become a reality," they warned, urging, "The National Assembly must promptly pass the bill to postpone the application of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act."