Co-hosted by Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service, Pledge for a Safe Workplace
Worker-Centered Industrial Accident Insurance, Virtuous Cycle Social Services
The Ministry of Employment and Labor (Minister Lee Jeongsik) and the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service (President Park Jonggil) held a ceremony to commemorate the 60th anniversary of workers' compensation insurance at the KBIZ Hall of the Korea Federation of SMEs on the 25th.
Representatives from labor and management organizations, such as the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, the Korea Employers Federation, and the Korea Federation of SMEs, as well as representatives from workers' compensation organizations and various other dignitaries, attended the ceremony.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service are holding a ceremony to commemorate the 60th anniversary of industrial accident insurance.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor reflected on the significance and achievements of 60 years of workers' compensation insurance and reaffirmed its vision and hopes for the future through a report on the 60-year history of the insurance and an interview video featuring the public's wishes for workers' compensation insurance.
In particular, an injured worker who became paralyzed from the waist down due to an industrial accident but overcame the disability to pursue a second life as a wheelchair tennis player, lecturer, and model, presented a personal rehabilitation story and exhibited artworks created in the hospital, drawing attention from attendees.
Workers' compensation insurance is Korea's first social insurance, implemented on July 1, 1964, during the period of full-scale industrialization.
At its inception, it applied to around 80,000 workers at mining and manufacturing businesses with 500 or more employees. Today, its coverage has expanded to include all businesses with at least one employee in every industry, as well as labor providers such as delivery workers, now protecting a total of about 21 million working citizens.
Support for injured workers was initially limited to monetary compensation focused on economic benefits, but now includes a wide range of services such as medical care, rehabilitation, and support for workplace and social reintegration, greatly strengthening its role as a social safety net.
Over the past 60 years, workers' compensation insurance has protected injured workers and dispersed the economic risks of industrial accidents for businesses, thus supporting Korea's rapid economic growth.
Minister Lee Jeongsik said, "I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who has contributed to the establishment and development of workers' compensation insurance over the past 60 years," and emphasized, "We will do our utmost to ensure that workers' compensation insurance can serve as a reliable companion for working people by actively responding to new environmental changes such as low birth rates, population aging, and the expansion of the platform economy."
He added, "Creating safe workplaces free from accidents and disease is the best reward for all working people, so we must make every effort to reduce industrial accidents by raising safety awareness and spreading a culture of safety."
Park Jonggil, President of the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service, stated, "We will do our part to operate the workers' compensation insurance system effectively by providing fair, timely, and inspiring services to all working people," and expressed his commitment, "We will make multifaceted efforts to ensure that workers' compensation insurance evolves into a virtuous social service that leads to workplace reintegration through rehabilitation rather than mere compensation."
Following the ceremony, the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service will hold an international symposium at the Korea Federation of SMEs at 2 p.m. on the 26th, inviting domestic and international experts to discuss "Response Strategies of Workers' Compensation Insurance in the Era of Super-Aging Society" and "Changing Roles of Workers' Compensation Insurance Due to Diversification of Work Types."
The Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service are holding a cake-cutting ceremony to commemorate the 60th anniversary of industrial accident insurance.
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