Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yun-cheol said on the 22nd, "We will significantly expand the weight of safety management in management evaluations, and hold agency heads accountable in the event of a major disaster."
On the same day, Deputy Prime Minister Koo emphasized at an emergency meeting on safety in public institutions that "we will improve the evaluation system to ensure that institutions and agency heads who neglect safety management receive clear disadvantages in evaluations." He also stated that the budget preparation process for next year would greatly expand disaster prediction and prevention budgets compared to this year.
According to the government, following incidents such as the derailment of the KTX Gangneung line and the death of Kim Yong-kyun, a worker at West Power, guidelines for safety management in public institutions were established in 2019, and a safety management rating system was introduced in 2020.
However, concerns about safety management in public institutions are rising due to recent accidents, including the Taean Thermal Power Plant accident and the Mugunghwa-ho train accident.
Deputy Prime Minister Koo noted, "The government and public institutions feel a heavy sense of responsibility," adding, "We must firmly resolve to prevent tragic accidents from recurring."
The government plans to impose strong sanctions such as restricting public bidding on corporations that show safety negligence and experience major disasters in order to eradicate industrial accidents.
Additionally, it will legislate "safety management" as a fundamental principle for operating public institutions to promote a safety-first culture and hold agency heads accountable in the event of a major disaster.
Furthermore, the weight of safety management in management evaluations will be significantly increased to ensure that institutions and agency heads who neglect safety management receive clear disadvantages in evaluations.
The current safety management rating system will be restructured with a focus on safety, and business disclosures related to safety accidents will also be strengthened.
The government will also provide support for the efforts of public institutions and corporations to ensure safety. It will institutionally internalize the safety-first principle in public contracting processes and will implement support measures so that corporations can continue to invest in safety despite management burdens.
It plans to encourage public institutions to establish incentives for safety personnel and prepare measures to give preferential treatment for safety-related investments. The government also intends to significantly increase related budgets in the budget proposal for next year.