General Society: Society: News: Hankyoreh

“I was busy with my work day in July. One day, when I was home from work, the evening sky colored by a red sunset caught my eyes. At that time, I thought,’I’m living hard to see the sky like this.’ On the 19th, Mr. Lee, 26, an office worker, participated in the online certification shot campaign urging the enactment of the Severe Accident Corporate Punishment Act (Severe Accident Act) and uploaded the photo taken that day to his social network service (SNS). The hashtag “#country where 7 people cannot work every day” was also attached. He said in an interview with the 28th, “I was very sad that there were 7 people every day who couldn’t see the beautiful scenery on the way home from work that I saw at that time.”

At the National Assembly on that day, the family members of industrial accidents, such as Kim Mi-sook, chairman of the Kim Yong-gyun Foundation, urged the enactment of the Severe Disaster Act and continued fasting for the 18th. While the ruling and opposition parties hesitate to enact the law without giving them an answer, voices demanding the enactment of the law during the extraordinary session of the National Assembly (January 8, 2021) are infested online and offline. The social consensus is growing that industrial accident accidents are not an individual problem, but a problem for all of us. Citizens, seeing those who died in industrial accidents and their families, began to agree that industrial accidents are a common occurrence around me. Mr. Lee said, “The faces of my family were superimposed on the faces of the bereaved families of industrial accidents,” said Lee. “I participated in the online campaign with a normal mind, hoping that the lives of the people around me are more comfortable. I hope everyone will take the courage to express their demands for the Severe Disaster Act.” Freelancer Choi Bum-joon (30) said, “I used to think of industrial accidents as an occasional news incident, but I didn’t know how the legislative discussions were going on. After seeing Kim Mi-sook and Lee Yong-gwan’s fasting in the news, I became interested.” “Lee Han-bit and Kim Yong-gyun, who died of industrial accidents, are my brothers and sisters. I think my parents are fasting because my friends have died, so it hurts as if my parents are fasting.”

Some are voicing the idea that the Severe Accident Act could be the foundation for creating a’future’ in which workers can work safely. Seong Ji-eun (34), a mother of 4 years old, who posted on S&S, “The serious disaster law is the Sung Ji-eun law” said, “It’s scary to ask my child what he wants to do when he grows up. I think the Severe Accident Act is not for the bereaved family (of those who died from industrial accidents), but for me as a worker, and for my child who will grow up and become a worker.” Lee Han-sol, director of the Hanbit Media Labor Rights Center, the younger brother of PD Lee Han-bit, who has been leading the online campaign since the 17th, said, “In addition to those who participate in fasting, there are seven workers a day that various ordinary citizens cannot leave work. It supports the enactment of the Severe Disaster Act to change. We are running a campaign to inform that fact.” 73 elders of civil society, including former Democratic Labor Party representative Kwon Young-gil and Father Ham Se-woong, held a press conference at the fountain in front of the Blue House. “The’Severe Disaster Act’ creates a new social ethic that puts’life and safety over profits’ priority over industrial accidents. It will be a touchstone of the precious times going and a new milestone in Korean social democracy. Along with the reinstatement of the dismissal of Hanjin Heavy Industries, Kim Jin-sook, President Moon Jae-in must step forward and fulfill his responsibilities.” By Lee Ju-bin, Park Yoon-gyeong, and Jang Pil-soo, staff reporter [email protected]