Minister Kim Young-hoon of the Ministry of Employment and Labor said on the 12th regarding the series of fatalities caused by industrial accidents, "It is time for a five-year plan for major disasters."
On that day, Minister Kim visited the headquarters of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) located on Jeongdong-gil in Jung-gu, Seoul, and made the remark.
It is said that this visit to the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) was his first in about 13 years. Minister Kim met with reporters and said, "It feels new to come to the Jeongdong office after a long time," adding, "It seems that it has been about 13 years since I last visited the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU)."
Previously, Minister Kim served as the 9th chairperson of the 6th term of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) from January 2010 to November 2012. He was elected as the youngest chairperson in 2010. After his term as chairperson ended, he also served as the 26th chairperson of the National Railway Workers' Union under the public transport union of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU).
Originally, Minister Kim was scheduled to visit the headquarters of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) at 4 p.m. that day. However, he arrived in front of the headquarters at around 4:52 p.m. because a Cabinet meeting presided over by President Lee Jae-myung ran longer than expected. Minister Kim noted, "I couldn't leave on time because we were discussing major disasters beyond the scheduled time."
Before a meeting with Chairperson Yang Kyung-soo of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and others, he said, "When I was on-site, I was in a position to demand workers' rights, but now, as one of the Cabinet members, I will show how to robustly protect workers' rights."
Minister Kim added, "I will ensure that working individuals do not suffer unjustly," stating, "There will be no deaths caused by going to work, no financial losses, and no discrimination, as I will fulfill these three tasks."
Minister Kim also stated that he plans to conduct surprise inspections targeting industrial sites in collaboration with the private sector. He noted, "It is not easy to eradicate major disasters solely with the Ministry of Labor," adding, "I am considering a surprise inspection and establishing an industrial safety and health system in partnership with safety and health experts from both major trade unions and those familiar with the field."