Yoon slams DP as accidents law grace period end looms

President Yoon Suk Yeol slammed the opposition Democratic Party (DP) after lawmakers failed to reach a deal extending the grace period exempting small businesses from stricter workplace safety rules

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a town hall meeting held in Euijungbu, Gyeonggi, on Thursday. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

President Yoon Suk Yeol slammed the opposition Democratic Party (DP) after lawmakers failed to reach a deal extending the grace period exempting small businesses from stricter workplace safety rules.

The president “strongly regret[s] the irresponsible behavior of the opposition, which ignored struggles that the SMEs [small and medium-sized enterprises] are going through and the household economies,” according to a message released through a presidential spokesperson.

Yoon has ordered the relevant government branches, including the Ministry of Employment and Labor, to “minimize any possible confusion and side-effects that the Serious Accident Punishment Act may cause,” the release said.

On the previous day, Yoon called the lawmakers to “do [their] best to pass the revision on the Serious Accidents Punishment Act during the plenary session today,” saying that “while there is no doubt that a worker’s safety should always come above all else, we also need to consider the struggles that 830,000 small business owners and those in the SMEs are going through.”

However, as the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the main opposition DP failed to reach an agreement, small businesses with five to 49 employees will be subject to the industrial accident law starting Saturday.

The Serious Accident Punishment Act, which was enacted for bigger businesses in January 2022, holds employers liable for fatal on-site accidents caused by insufficient safety measures. Employers can face a one-year minimum prison term or a fine of up to 1 billion won ($750,000).

Though larger companies have been subject to the law since 2022, smaller businesses, categorized as those with less than 50 employees, were exempt from the rule due to a lack of human resources and cost concerns.

Both parties may work on arbitration over the revision proposal of the law before the National Assembly’s plenary session slated for Feb. 1. The PPP and DP are butting heads over the latter’s demand to establish a government agency dedicated to industrial safety and health.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]