President Lee Jae-myung visited the SPC Samlip Siheung factory in Gyeonggi Province on the 25th, where an industrial accident resulting in death occurred, and said, “We need to lay the groundwork for realistic and concrete measures to reduce the industrial accident death rate, which boasts the highest rate among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries.” Lee, who is from a working-class background, has repeatedly called for ‘industrial accident solutions’ across all ministries in public settings such as government meetings and meetings with the Prime Minister since taking office.
That day, at the ‘On-site meeting for businesses that have experienced major industrial accidents’ held in Siheung, President Lee stated, “If safety and lives are sacrificed for money or expenses, that truly needs to change.” He noted, “I am also from a worker background and a victim of industrial accidents,” adding that “even decades later, there are still too many workers dying on the job.”
He went on to say, “If people die from falling, being crushed, or getting caught in equipment, and such industrial accidents occur unpredictably and intermittently, that’s understandable. However, it is indeed a problem that the same accidents occur repeatedly in the same locations and in the same manner.” He added, “The fact that it can be predicted means it can also be prevented. Why do the same things keep happening?” He explained, “One of the causes that can be speculated is because the balance between the expense for prevention and the cost when an accident occurs is not aligned.”
President Lee remarked, “Korea is said to be one of the world's top 10 economic powerhouses, a developed nation with an income nearing $40,000, but it certainly does not look like one in the field,” adding, “It seems the Minister of Labor will have a lot of work to do moving forward.” He continued, stating, “The new government will fundamentally change the reality in Korea, where too many people are dying for various reasons,” emphasizing, “We must create a society where people do not die while working, where workplaces are happy, and where safety is prioritized. Even if we cannot have a happy society, we must minimize instances where people take their own lives due to unhappiness.”
The meeting was attended by Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Young-hoon, who is a former railroad worker; Kim Yong-beom, Policy Chief of the Presidential Office; and Moon Jin-young, Social Chief. Corporate attendees included Huh Young-in, Chairman of SPC Group; Kim Beom-soo, CEO of SPC Samlip; Kang Hee-seok, Head of CJ Foodville's Voice Factory; Lee Jung-hyun, Head of Crown Confectionery's Daejeon Factory; and representatives of workers such as Kim In-hyuk, Chairman of the SPC Samlip Labor Union, along with on-site laborers from SPC Samlip.