The government has decided to select 10 major construction companies with a high risk of serious accidents in the first half of this year and conduct integrated supervision of major sites nationwide. In the past, supervision was conducted only on individual matters when specific issues arose, but now it will thoroughly examine all areas related to labor and industrial safety.
On the 25th, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced the '2025 business sites supervision plan' containing this content.
On that day, the Ministry of Employment and Labor identified the construction industry as particularly vulnerable to wage defaults and industrial accidents. It noted that it would conduct supervision on 10 construction companies that are at high risk of wage defaults or serious accidents.
A Ministry of Employment and Labor official said, "Due to the nature of the construction industry, where the primary contractor must delegate work to subcontractors, and those subcontractors can delegate to other subcontractors, issues like wage defaults occur more frequently than in other industries," adding, "This is likely the reason why the construction industry has been singled out. "
The Ministry of Employment and Labor plans to respond more strictly to corporations that deliberately and habitually violate the law this year. In the past, when social issues were raised about certain corporations, supervision was conducted only on those specific issues, but starting this year, it will review not only the raised issues but also all areas.
Supervisory planning based on data will also be strengthened. It plans to conduct preventive supervisory planning by pre-selecting high-risk establishments for labor management and industrial accidents to detect potential risks in advance and issue alerts.
The government also plans to conduct supervisory planning for vulnerable sectors in newly emerging industries, such as "corporate YouTubers and webtoon production," where issues related to labor rights protection have recently been raised.
To this end, measures will be established to enhance the capabilities of labor inspectors. Excellent labor inspectors with expertise will be intensively trained, and a 'labor inspector certification system' will be implemented to officially certify labor inspectors with field experience and knowledge through departmental reviews.
In addition, there are plans to strengthen support for small businesses and vulnerable sectors. The approach will not just stop at detecting and correcting legal violations but will also involve conducting actual conditions and surveys to identify structural vulnerabilities and provide guidance (recommendations) and consulting to fundamentally improve these issues. Furthermore, after supervisory activities end, re-supervision will be intensified to prevent the recurrence of violations, and for establishments with a risk of industrial accidents, confirmation checks will be conducted to verify compliance after inspections.
Minister Kim Moon-soo said, "Supervision of business sites is a matter directly related to people's livelihoods and labor rights, as well as the lives of workers, so there must not be a single gap," and added, "This year, based on solid labor laws, we will ensure that everyone working can be treated fairly in a safe environment without any disruption in supervising business sites."