Kim Woong and POSCO Choi Jung-woo criticized “Chairman, are you an insurance scammer?”

POSCO Chairman Jeong-woo Choi bows his head at the National Assembly Industrial Accident Hearing on the 22nd. [국회사진기자단]

There was no separate opposition party to blame the company for the death of an industrial accident. At the Environmental Labor Committee’s industrial accident hearing held at the National Assembly on the 22nd, nine representatives of the company, who recently had a major accident, came out as witnesses and bowed their heads.

The person who received intensive criticism was POSCO Chairman Choi Jeong-woo. Prior to the hearing, Chairman Choi issued a letter of reasons for non-show (17th) due to a lower back disease before the hearing, and then changed his position to attending again after receiving criticism from lawmakers.

Rep. Kim Woong’s Power of the People pointed out the medical certificate issued by Chairman Choi. Rep. Kim, a former prosecutor, criticized “the medical certificate for lumbar spine sprains issued by the president as a medical certificate mainly issued by insurance scammers.” The same party leader and lawmaker also asked, “As the chairman of POSCO, who is experiencing an industrial accident, we should politely apologize to the deceased. When Chairman Choi replied, “My thoughts were short,” Rep. Lim said again, “This is the character of the chairman.”

On the 16th, POSCO also suffered industrial accidents, such as an employee’s death accident at the loading and unloading machine at the Pohang Works. POSCO said it has been reducing accidents by spending 1.3 trillion won in safety costs over the past three years, but lawmakers continued to accuse them. Chairman Choi said, “I am very sorry for causing concern to you about the recent industrial accidents,” and “I sincerely apologize to the bereaved. The company is making efforts to invest in various facilities with the goal of putting safety first, but it is still lacking.”

Notman Joseph Nathan, CEO of Coupang Full-filment Services, speaks at the National Assembly’s industrial accident hearing on the 22nd. [국회사진기자단]

Notman Joseph Nathan, CEO of Coupang Full Film Service, also apologized to the bereaved family of Jang Deok-jun (then 27), who was recently recognized as an industrial accident after his death in October last year. CEO Nathan said, “I will do my best to prevent recurrence.”

Not all Witnesses apologized. Han Young-seok, CEO of Hyundai Heavy Industries, said, “There are standard work guidelines, but the cause of the accident is that employees act unsafe on the site.” In addition, he stressed that “the employees of suppliers should be more conscious about the safety of their employees.” Woo Moo-hyun, CEO of GS E&C, said, “I cannot agree that the domestic safety devices are insufficient. Rather, they are more concerned about safety in Korea.” Lotte Global Logistics CEO Park Chan-bok also pointed out, “That shouldn’t be done (violate the guidelines), but (employees) have a wrong safety consciousness at the site.”

In response, “Why are we doing this hearing if workers’ unsafe behavior causes industrial accidents?” (Jang Cheol-min and Democratic Party) “If workers say that they do not comply with the guidelines, it is unlikely that they will be able to avoid the severe accident corporate punishment law” (with Sujin Lee The Democratic Party (Proportional) was rebuked. In response, CEO Han Young-seok and others replied, “I will do my best to prevent unsafe work from happening.”

Ulsan Hyundai Heavy Industries site where the fatal accident occurred on the 5th. [사진 현대중공업 노동조합]

Some pointed out that the hearing was to be embarrassed by entrepreneurs. It is a dissatisfaction from the management that both the ruling and the opposition parties started to manage votes by riding on anti-business sentiment ahead of the re-and by-election in April. Before the hearing, the Korea Employers Federation said, “The management community is sorry for the decision to hold a hearing that puts a burden on the company.” “Rather than seeking responsibility, we ask that it be a place to listen to and discuss various opinions for the prevention of difficulties or accidents in safety management of the company. “I do.”

On this day, magnetic remarks came out even within the Hwannowi. Rep. Kim Woong said, “I thought that the politicians who couldn’t prevent Byeon Chang-heum, who said’if only he was careful’ about the Guui Station accident, were entitled to ask such questions to businessmen. “I have a hearing with the thought of doing it.”

Reporters Sunwook Choi and Byungjun Lee [email protected]