South Korea: President Lee orders direct reports of industrial deaths

Seoul, Aug 9 (IANS) South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has ordered the government to directly report industrial deaths to himself as soon as possible to enhance worker safety and reduce workplace fatalities, his office said Saturday.

Lee made the order upon returning from his summer vacation, after a man in his 50s fell to his death Friday while removing safety nets at the construction site of a new apartment complex in Uijeongbu, 26 kilometres north of Seoul, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung told reporters.

"President Lee has ordered that all industrial deaths be directly reported to him as promptly as possible," Kang said.

While the existing information-sharing system through the National Situation Room will remain in place, Lee called for the establishment of a faster reporting mechanism, Yonhap news agency reported.

Lee also instructed the Ministry of Labour to present the industrial accident prevention framework, follow-up measures and actions taken so far at the Cabinet meeting scheduled for Tuesday, Kang added.

"These measures reflect the president's strong determination to drastically reduce workplace fatalities," she said.

Lee has repeatedly called for stronger safety measures and tougher punishment for violators during his first two months in office to root out repeated fatal industrial accidents.

He recently criticised back-to-back fatal accidents at POSCO E&C worksites as tantamount to "murder through willful negligence" during a Cabinet meeting on July 29.

Despite his orders for preventive measures, another industrial accident occurred at a POSCO E&C construction site on August 4. A Myanmar national in his 30s was critically injured and lost consciousness in a suspected electrocution at an expressway construction site in Gwangmyeong, 20 kilometres south of Seoul, marking the fourth fatal accident this year at builder-managed sites.

In response, Lee ordered officials to review tough punitive measures to prevent recurring workplace fatalities. Possible actions include revoking the company's construction license, banning it from public tenders and imposing punitive damages.

--IANS

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