DR & AJU Legislation & Government Relations Consulting Center’s latest issue of its specialized legislative journal, the Policy & Business Report, is now available in digital format.
A hundred days after the implementation of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, solutions to reduce both safety accidents and adverse effects must be sought.
On April 26, 2022, the Legislative Strategy Center (represented by Head of the Center Dong Eon CHA) of DR & AJU LLC (represented by Managing Partner Kyu Chul LEE) released the April 2022 issue of the specialized legislative journal, the Policy & Business (P&B) Report.
Mr. Dong Eon CHA, head of the Legislative Strategy Center, stated, “According to multiple media reports, the Presidential Transition Committee is discussing methods to mitigate the severity of the Serious Accident Punishment Act (“SAPA”)’s punishment criteria. He mentioned that “the Committee is reported to be reviewing the SAPA enforcement ordinance instead of the SAPA itself to clarify the stipulated obligations on safety and health measures. Since it is difficult to amend a law, it seems that the Committee has chosen to amend the enforcement ordinance to mitigate punishment.”
Mr. Seung Cheol LEE, a Senior Advisor at DR & AJU, stated, “Although it has been three months since the SAPA implementation, reports indicate that the frequency of safety accidents on industrial and construction sites has not decreased significantly, contrary to the initial expectations and goals of the law. In the instance of construction sites, which are notorious for the frequent occurrence of fatal accidents, there has been no discernible gain despite the various attempts to reduce safety accidents in construction sites, such as the additional allocation of personnel and funds for safety management.” Stating that “this demonstrates that workplace fatalities cannot be prevented solely with strong punishment,” Mr. Lee further commented that “it would be desirable for the Government to amend the enforcement ordinance to clarify the stipulated obligations for responsible managing officers and improve victim compensations rather than increase the punishment for responsible managing officers.”
As the first-ever Korean law firm to issue specialized legislative journals, DR & AJU LLC has been publishing the monthly Policy & Business Report since August 2019. Based on a comprehensive evaluation of the legislation proposed to the National Assembly Subcommittee, Standing Committee, and Plenary Session from March 15, 2022 to April 14, 2022, the April 2022 issue of the P&B Report selects and analyzes legislation that significantly impacts corporate activities. Especially for major Acts, key quotes from legislators, members of the Standing Committee, and government officials are included.
Mr. Kyu Chul LEE, the Managing Partner of DR & AJU, said, “DR & AJU established the Serious Accidents Practice Group in early 2021 to help corporate executives better mitigate the potential legal risks posed by the new Serious Accidents Punishment Act (“SAPA”), which came into effect on January 27, 2022. Mr. Lee stressed, “Drawing on our experience and practical expertise, we will provide full legal support by preemptively conducting a thorough examination on the reinforced safety and health obligations and proposing effective countermeasures against various upcoming difficulties for businesses to prevent problems after the law’s implementation.”
*Please download the PDF file for further information. (Korean)
