Kim Moon-soo, the People Power Party presidential candidate, said on the 21st regarding the correlation between the recent fatal accident at SPC Samlip's Siheung factory and the Serious Accident Punishment Act, “We all know that just because (the business owner) is arrested, the fatalities won't disappear.”
Following a rice planting and refreshment meeting with young farmers in Goyang, Kim said to reporters, “Last time the SPC chairman was also arrested, and this is not the only fatality.”
The Serious Accident Punishment Act, which was implemented in January 2022, punishes business owners or management responsible for serious industrial accidents, such as fatalities.
Kim noted, “There are many safety devices, and it is possible to install them adequately, but the repeated accidents occurring is very wrong.”
He added, “The responsibility for not preventing an accident that could have been avoided lies with the safety manager, the president, and this part should be strictly punished.”
Earlier, on the 15th, at a breakfast lecture at the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises in Yeouido, Kim stated about the Serious Accident Punishment Act, “When I become the decision-maker, I will definitely correct this bad law so that it no longer troubles you.”
In response, the previous day, Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea candidate, pointed out, “How can we claim it’s a bad law after signing it together?” and added, “If a few business owners ask for its abolition because it seems convenient for them, is it right to side with them?”
On the 21st, Park Chan-dae, the Democratic Party of Korea floor leader, also urged at a central election committee meeting held at the party's central office in Yeouido regarding the SPC accident, “It is a very devastating feeling,” and called for the government to conduct a thorough and strict investigation into the incident.