President Lee Jae-myung said April 28 that he would use “every possible means” to ensure workplaces do not become sites of death, marking Industrial Accident Workers’ Day.
In a Facebook post, Lee said he mourned “from the bottom of my heart” all workers who did not return home from their jobs.
He called eliminating industrial accidents a key policy task for what he described as a “people-sovereignty government,” and said “sustainable growth based on safety” is a core principle that cannot be shaken.
Lee said broad government efforts and cooperation between labor and management are beginning to show results, citing a 17.5% drop in workplace deaths in the first quarter compared with a year earlier. But he said the country still has a long way to go in the face of lives lost and the grief of families and neighbors.
He pledged to tighten laws and systems so familiar tragedies are not repeated because of neglected hazards or small gaps, adding that the government would establish new standards and systems if necessary.
Lee said the achievement of being the world’s 10th-largest economy cannot be a source of pride while the country carries the stigma of ranking first among OECD members in industrial accident death rates. He vowed to take responsibility so the day becomes not only one of mourning and remembrance, but also a day to reaffirm safety and talk about recovery.
In a Facebook post, Lee said he mourned “from the bottom of my heart” all workers who did not return home from their jobs.
He called eliminating industrial accidents a key policy task for what he described as a “people-sovereignty government,” and said “sustainable growth based on safety” is a core principle that cannot be shaken.
Lee said broad government efforts and cooperation between labor and management are beginning to show results, citing a 17.5% drop in workplace deaths in the first quarter compared with a year earlier. But he said the country still has a long way to go in the face of lives lost and the grief of families and neighbors.
He pledged to tighten laws and systems so familiar tragedies are not repeated because of neglected hazards or small gaps, adding that the government would establish new standards and systems if necessary.
Lee said the achievement of being the world’s 10th-largest economy cannot be a source of pride while the country carries the stigma of ranking first among OECD members in industrial accident death rates. He vowed to take responsibility so the day becomes not only one of mourning and remembrance, but also a day to reaffirm safety and talk about recovery.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.