[Exclusive] National Assembly Considers Hearing on Worker Death... "Will Address Serious Accident Group Owner Responsibility"

Responsibility for Worker Fatality at SPC Samlip's Siwha Plant
Ahn Hoyoung, Environment and Labor Committee Chair:
"Structural Disasters Must Not Be Repeated"

The National Assembly is weighing the possibility of holding a hearing to hold SPC Samlip accountable for the fatal industrial accident that occurred at its Siwha plant last month. If a parliamentary hearing on SPC industrial accidents is held, it will be the second such hearing. The National Assembly is expected to use this opportunity to re-examine companies' structural safety management systems and to prepare institutional countermeasures.

According to industry sources on June 18, the National Assembly Environment and Labor Committee is currently considering a hearing on SPC Group. In a phone interview with our publication on this day, Committee Chairman Ahn Ho-young stated, "This accident should not be viewed as a simple on-site mistake, but rather as a recurring structural disaster," and added, "After receiving the requested materials from SPC Samlip, we will make a final decision on whether to hold a hearing on industrial accidents."

Previously, on May 29, the Environment and Labor Committee held an emergency meeting regarding SPC's major industrial accidents. At the meeting, Kim Beomsu, CEO of SPC Samlip, announced, "We will completely dismantle the equipment involved in the accident and introduce a four-team, three-shift system on some lines." He also pledged to conduct monthly joint safety inspections with labor and management, and to shorten the inspection cycle with external professional agencies from semiannual to quarterly, thereby strengthening on-site safety management.

However, the National Assembly intends to use this hearing not only to criticize the company, but also to examine the effectiveness of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act. Chairman Ahn pointed out, "This is a total system collapse caused by companies' failures in safety management, the government's lukewarm response, and the National Assembly's lack of legislative oversight," and stressed, "Such tragedies must not be repeated."

This will be the second parliamentary hearing related to SPC industrial accidents. In October 2022, a worker in their 20s died after being caught in machinery at SPL, an SPC affiliate bakery plant. The following August, another fatal accident occurred when a worker in their 50s died at Shany's Seongnam plant. As a result, a hearing was held in December of the same year. At that time, the chairman of SPC pledged, "We will provide more safety training and replace dangerous tasks with machinery and equipment to protect workers."

At the previous hearing, the scope of management responsibility for industrial accidents became a key issue after the Serious Accidents Punishment Act took effect in 2022. The law obligates management (those with overall business authority and responsibility, or those in charge of safety and health tasks accordingly) to prevent and manage workplace safety risks, and stipulates penalties if a serious accident occurs due to failure to fulfill these duties.

In the case of SPC Group, the owner family controls the holding company Paris Croissant, which in turn controls multiple affiliates including SPC Samlip. Under this structure, the CEO of the affiliate where the serious accident occurred is subject to legal responsibility. Chairman Ahn emphasized, "If the ruling and opposition parties reach an agreement, we will use the industrial accident hearing to examine the effectiveness of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act and also look into structural reform issues, including the responsibility of the group owner."