Deputy Prime Minister Koo Yun-cheol said during the opening remarks of the 8th Public Institution Operations Committee on the 1st, "We will legislate the responsibility of heads of agencies to ensure that safety management becomes the top priority, and we will establish grounds for discharging heads of agencies responsible for major accidents."
During the meeting, the government discussed strengthening safety management of public institutions and the medium- to long-term financial management plan for 2025 to 2029.
Koo noted, "Recently, fatal industrial accidents have occurred in public institutions' workplaces," adding, "We will employ every means and method to ensure safety in public work environments."
The government decided to first raise the weighting of industrial accident prevention in the management evaluation to its highest level ever and to apply safety management grade assessments to all public enterprises and quasi-governmental institutions. The weighting for achievements in reducing industrial accidents will increase from 100 points to 150 points. In addition, the number of fatal industrial accidents, which was announced once a year, will be made public quarterly, and a new announcement for injuries from major accidents will be established. The 24 institutions that experienced fatal accidents in the last three years are expected to complete inspections and improvements by the end of this year.
Additionally, the use of new technologies such as intelligent CCTV, drones, and artificial intelligence (AI) will be actively encouraged to reduce risks and increase efficiency, and preferential measures for safety investment in public institutions will be prepared. Koo urged executives to reflect on whether public institutions have neglected safety while focusing only on efficiency.
Regarding the medium- to long-term financial management plan, Koo explained, "We have reflected the leading role of public institutions in line with the new government's national strategic agenda and actively incorporated key policy projects and essential social overhead capital (SOC) investments." Major projects include the construction of the West Coast Energy Expressway, investments in offshore wind and other renewable energy, and housing welfare projects.
According to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the debt ratio of 35 institutions is expected to improve from 202.2% this year to 190.1% by 2029. During the same period, the scale of liabilities is projected to increase by 127.6 trillion won, reaching 847.8 trillion won by 2029.
In response, a Ministry of Economy and Finance official explained, "While the scale of liabilities is increasing, capital expansion is progressing at a greater pace, resulting in a decrease in the ratio." Koo also stated, "While adjusting business priorities and reducing or abolishing low-performing projects, we will work on expenditure restructuring to increase productivity and financial capacity."
Koo emphasized, "While an active role of public institutions is necessary for the transition to a hyper-innovative leading economy, excessive liabilities can undermine future growth momentum," urging, "Please secure financial soundness through self-help efforts and ensure thorough strategic fiscal management focused on performance."