Yoon: "The National Assembly Must Strive to Pass the Serious Accidents Punishment Act Amendment"

Yoon Emphasizes Consideration for 830,000 Small Business Owners
Urges Efforts to Pass Amendment to Serious Accidents Punishment Act
Calls for Bipartisan Negotiation to Protect Jobs and Revive the Economy

On January 25, President Yoon Suk Yeol requested, "Please make every effort to ensure that the amendment to the Serious Accidents Punishment Act passes the National Assembly."

According to a written briefing by presidential spokesperson Kim Soo Kyung, President Yoon made these remarks after being briefed on the difficulties in negotiations between the ruling and opposition parties. He said, "While there can be no disagreement that worker safety is the most important priority, we must also consider the situation of small and medium-sized enterprises facing difficulties, especially the 830,000 small business owners struggling with management hardships."

President Yoon further emphasized, "Even now, the ruling and opposition parties should come together and negotiate to reassure small business owners, protect jobs, and revive the economy and people's livelihoods."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Serious Accidents Punishment Act stipulates that if a serious accident occurs at a workplace with 50 or more employees-resulting in at least one death, or 10 or more people injured or suffering from illness-the employer or management is subject to at least one year of imprisonment or a fine of up to 1 billion KRW. Starting January 27, the Act will also apply to workplaces with five or more but fewer than 50 employees.

On the day of the National Assembly plenary session, the ruling and opposition parties failed to reach an agreement on the issue of handling the amendment to postpone the application of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. The ruling party is calling for a two-year postponement of the full enforcement of the law, while the opposition party maintains its position that at least minimum safety measures, such as the establishment of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, must be implemented first.