South Korea's National Assembly Passes Bill on Industrial Accident Penalties

SEOUL, Oct. 1 (Yonhap) -- The National Assembly on Thursday passed a revised bill imposing financial penalties on companies over fatal industrial accidents to better protect workers and strengthen workplace safety.

The revision to the Occupational Safety and Health Act passed in a 161-52 vote with six abstentions during a parliamentary plenary session, despite objections from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP).

The revision calls for imposing a fine of up to five percent of the company's operating profit for violating safety regulations when three or more workers die in industrial accidents within a year.

The PPP has argued that the five percent threshold would be excessive, citing the financial burden it could place on companies, while the ruling Democratic Party (DP) has criticized the PPP for blocking the bill to protect corporate interests rather than workers.

"The conditions are already difficult for companies to grow," PPP chief spokesperson Rep. Choi Soo-jin told reporters before the plenary session. "We clearly oppose the bill because we believe it places a burden on companies."

During a debate at the session, DP Rep. Lee Yong-woo dismissed concerns that the fine would be excessive, stressing that it has a cap and is based on operating profit, not sales.

"Saying that hundreds of billions or trillions of won would be imposed in fines is an absolute distortion," he said.

The Assembly also passed a revision to the Emergency Medical Service Act aimed at preventing hospitals from refusing to admit emergency patients.

Under the revision, medical authorities will be authorized to designate a hospital for critically ill patients if paramedics cannot find a medical institution that will accept them.

Such medical institutions will also be required to provide legitimate reasons for refusing to accept a patient.