Yoon: "Isn't it a strategic choice of support base votes over people's livelihood?"
President Yoon Suk-yeol criticized the Democratic Party of Korea on the 1st for rejecting the bill to postpone the Serious Accidents Punishment Act (Serious Accidents Punishment Act), saying they "ultimately ignored the people's livelihood."
On the same day, President Yoon said, "Even though the ruling party's floor leader accepted the Industrial Safety and Health Agency (ISHA) that the Democratic Party had demanded so far, the Democratic Party's rejection ultimately chose political support over the people's livelihood," according to a written briefing by Kim Soo-kyung, spokesperson for the presidential office.
President Yoon also expressed regret, saying, "How can they ignore the desperate pleas of 830,000 small business owners and the jobs of millions of workers to such an extent?"
President Yoon instructed the Ministry of Employment and Labor and other related ministries to "immediately devise and implement measures to prevent side effects from the law's enforcement, confusion in industrial sites, and to alleviate the difficulties of small self-employed business owners."
The ruling party and the government agreed to accept the establishment of the Industrial Safety and Health Agency, which the Democratic Party had demanded, to postpone the enforcement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, which was expanded to workplaces with fewer than 50 employees, for two more years.
The presidential office also requested in the morning, "The government will maintain a flexible and adaptable stance to resolve difficulties faced by small and medium-sized enterprises and small business owners," and "We earnestly ask the opposition party to cooperate, considering the difficulties on the ground."
However, the Democratic Party held a party meeting that day and rejected the ruling party's proposal, stating, "While we maintain the position that the establishment of the Industrial Safety and Health Agency is necessary to respect workers' lives, we will not trade the postponement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act for the Industrial Safety and Health Agency."
After the Democratic Party's party meeting, a presidential office official met with reporters at the Yongsan Presidential Office and said, "We need to watch the National Assembly discussions until the end," adding, "However, it is very regrettable that the Democratic Party ultimately ignored the part where the government and ruling party urged postponement, considering the difficulties and urgent circumstances of small and medium-sized enterprises and small business owners."
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