As the first-ever Korean law firm to issue specialized legislative journals, DR & AJU LLC has been publishing the monthly Policy & Business (P&B) Report since August 2019. The P&B Report provides analyses of plenary sessions of the National Assembly, as well as standing committee and subcommittee meetings. In addition, the firm has been co-hosting the Future Leaders Forum with the Herald Business, inviting chairpersons of standing committees to discuss relevant legislative issues and tasks.
 
As an extension of this service, DR & AJU has also been issuing the Weekly Legislative Report, which covers various legal issues at the center of public debate along with editorials and columns on the Serious Accidents Punishment Act (“SAPA”) from major daily news outlets. The report will be released with an update on newly proposed or pending bills. Enclosed is this week’s legislative report, and please refer to the P&B Report for further details.
 
If you wish to subscribe to the P&B Report or have any other queries, please contact us at lc@draju.com.
 
 
1. Proposed Bill(s)
 
① Partial Amendment to the Act on Prohibition of Age Discrimination in Employment and Elderly Employment Promotion
 
This Amendment imposes a duty on business operators to ensure continued employee employment, such as by extending the retirement age to align with the national pension eligibility age or by re-employing retired employees.
 
② Partial Amendment to the Distribution Industry Development Act

This Amendment extends the sunset period for the provisions on the definition and registration of quasi-superstore and the designation of traditional commerce preservation areas by five years.

2. Pending Bill(s)
 
③ Partial Amendment to the Act on the Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce

This Amendment requires mail-order distributors or mail-order brokers to designate domestic agents in Korea.
 
3. Promulgated Bill(s)
 
④ Special Act on the Promotion of Offshore Wind Power Distribution and Industry Development
 
This Bill establishes the Committee for Offshore Wind Power Generation under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister and promotes the development of planned sites led by the government, where resident acceptance and environmental appropriateness are secured. It also introduces the legal fiction of authorization or permission, promotes the offshore wind power industry, and streamlines procedures for authorization and permission for wind power projects.

4. Bill(s) Undergoing Pre-Announcement of Legislation/Administration

⑤ Partial Amendment to the Enforcement Decree of the Act on Restriction on Special Cases Concerning Taxation

This Amendment raises the tax deduction rate for investments in semiconductors, one of the national strategic technologies, by 5 percentage points over the rate under the current Act—increasing the rate for large companies and middle-standing enterprises from 15 percent to 20 percent and for small and medium-sized enterprises from 25 percent to 30 percent. It also imposes charges for compelling performance on multinational corporations that refuse to submit materials for a tax investigation.

5. Serious Accidents Punishment Act ("SAPA") Related Editorials and Columns from Major Dailies
 
[The Korea Economic Daily] Court Recognizes Delivery Driver’s Death as an Industrial Accident If Overwork Contributed to His Death, Despite Running a Red Light
[The Kyunghyang Shinmun] Labor Ministry Investigates SAPA Violations Regarding Fatalities While Extinguishing Wildfire in Sancheong
[D News] DR & AJU LLC Takes Initiative in Preventing Serious Accidents in the Specialty Construction Industry
[Yonhap News] First Trial of Cheongju Mayor Charged with “Osong Underpass Tragedy” Set for June

*For more details, please download the PDF file attached.