South Korea Occupational Safety and Health Act amendment

The South Korean National Assembly passed an amendment to the Occupational Safety and Health Act to increase penalties for companies with frequent industrial accidents. Under the new legislation, employers responsible for three or more worker deaths due to safety violations within a single year may face fines of up to 5% of their operating profits. The law also provides grounds to request the cancellation of business registrations for companies with frequent serious accidents.

The amendment expands work stoppage rights, allowing workers, labor unions, and subcontracted workers to request that work be halted if safety violations or risks are suspected. Employers are mandated to stop work upon such requests and cannot resume operations until corrective measures are implemented. Failure to comply or penalizing workers for exercising these rights may result in criminal punishment.

The legislative move follows a rise in industrial accident claims, particularly in the construction sector where applications have increased by nearly 30% over the last three years. While labor groups welcomed the expansion of rights, they noted gaps regarding wage guarantees and protections for special employment workers. Conversely, the opposition People Power Party expressed concern that the scale of the fines could lead to the cancellation of major construction firms and the displacement of workers.