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| POSCO Chairman Jeong-woo Choi (right) and other witnesses are taking an oath at a hearing on industrial accidents by the Environmental Labor Committee held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 22nd. 2021.2.22/News1 © News1 Reporter Shin Woong-soo |
POSCO Chairman Choi Jung-woo and Hyundai Heavy Industries CEO Han Young-seok repeatedly apologized to the bereaved families of workers in the accident at the National Assembly industrial accident hearing on the 22nd, but they could not avoid intense criticism from lawmakers.
In particular, at the hearing on that day, accusations of the ruling and opposition lawmakers were concentrated on Chairman Choi, who submitted a statement of reasons for non-show due to a back disorder, and even a query asking for voluntary resignation was raised.
Chairman Choi attended the National Assembly Environmental Labor Committee’s Industrial Accident Hearing on that day and bowed, saying, “I am very sorry for causing concern to the people of the recent successive accidents. I sincerely apologize to the bereaved.”
Chairman Choi’s apology was an action that came out in lieu of an answer to the question when Congressman Kim Woong of Kookmin Strength, who started his first inquiry in the morning, asked, “It’s uncomfortable to have a back pain, but how painful it would be if I died by being pressed by a roller.”
Rep. Kim Woong said, “I submitted a certificate for a lumbar sprain along with a letter of reason for non-show, but the lumbar sprain is mainly issued by insurance scammers, and I don’t think that POSCO’s CEO could give it.”
Rep. Lim Ija said, “As POSCO chairman made up of the sweat, tears and blood of the people with unlimited responsibility, shouldn’t it be necessary to politely apologize to the bereaved families and the unjust workers who died from industrial accidents?” Asked. When Chairman Choi replied, “I think my thoughts were short,” Rep. Lim said, “It’s not that I have short thoughts, that’s Chairman Choi’s personality.”
While apologizing to the survivors of 35-year-old in-house subcontractors who died at the POSCO Pohang Works on the 8th, Roh Woong-rae, a member of the Democratic Party, also strongly criticized it as “a live show for the people,” pointing out the fact that he tried to fail to attend the hearing.
Rep. Roh criticized “Have you ever met the bereaved family (of the deceased who died on the last 8th). We haven’t met. Have you gone to condolences. Haven’t been there.” Rep. Roh pointed out that “44 workers died in the Pohang and Gwangyang Steelworks over the past five years,” and pointed out that “91% of those who died were subcontractors.”
Democratic Party lawmaker Yoon Mi-hyang said, “For three years, the chairman has already shown that he is incapable of managing the response and management of serious disasters that happened in POSCO.” did.
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| Han Young-seok, CEO of Hyundai Heavy Industries, answers questions from lawmakers at a hearing on industrial accidents of the Environmental Labor Committee held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 22nd. 2021.2.22/News1 © News1 Reporter Shin Woong-soo |
At the hearing that day, Han Young-seok, CEO of Hyundai Heavy Industries, also appeared as a witness and apologized, saying, “I am very sorry to the people for the fact that many major accidents have occurred.” He bowed his head, saying, “I express my sincere regret for the spirits of those who died in an industrial accident.”
In the afternoon questionnaire, Congressman Kim Woong also criticized POSCO’s corporate culture.
Rep. Kim said, “The characteristics of POSCO’s accidents are that they do not comply with basic safety and health rules and that they are concentrated on subcontractors,” and “In the OECD’s Corporate Management Report for Safety, I pointed out inappropriate leadership and wrong organizational culture as the reasons for not following the rules. He pointed out.
There was also an inquiry asking for Chairman Choi to resign. Democratic Party lawmaker Lim Jong-seong asked Choi, “how many more junior workers should bleed and fall down on the job site?” and “Do you have any intention of voluntarily resigning?” Accordingly, the chairman indirectly expressed his words that he would not resign again, saying, “I will know as a reprimand to take better safety in the future.”
Chairman Choi, who took office in August 2018, is planning to reappoint POSCO chairman for three years. In November of last year, the board of directors of POSCO decided to propose a general shareholders meeting on the agenda for the reappointment of Chairman Choi. Accordingly, the agenda for Chairman Choi’s reappointment will be voted on at the shareholders’ meeting held on March 12th.
In an afternoon inquiry, Rep. Noh Woong-rae also raised suspicion of preferential employment for the children of POSCO executives. Rep. Roh cited cases, saying, “The grandfather’s daughter was at POSCO Human Resources Development Center, the son of President Kim Mo was at POSCO Energy, and the son of former vice president Jeon was at POSCO Marketing. In addition, Congressman Choi asked, “Is the witness son joined Daewoo International or POSCO International?”
In response, Chairman Choi denied that, “Because of being a child of an executive, it has never been preferentially hired,” and “recruited through fair procedures by field employees and general employees.” In addition, regarding the suspicion of Chairman Choi’s preferential hiring of children, POSCO said, “All that Chairman Choi’s son worked as an experiential intern for a month in August 2017.” Separately explained to the media.
In the case of LG Display President Chung Ho-young, he announced that he would pursue a plan to carry out the risky work directly from the original office rather than the subcontractor. President Jung explained, “For work related to material dangerous substances, we are working on a way to directly perform dangerous work for direct control or risk management for problems of mutual communication or work.”
At the hearing on that day, Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jae-gap appeared and answered the questions of lawmakers along with a work report. In addition, Notman Joseph Nathan, CEO of Coupang Full-filment Service, Shin Young-soo, CEO of CJ Logistics Courier (Park Geun-hee, CEO of CJ Logistics), Park Chan-bok, CEO of Lotte Global Logistics, Woo Moo-hyun, GS E&C CEO, Han Sung-hee, POSCO E&C CEO, and Lee Won-woo, Hyundai E&C representative also witnessed. He was called to answer questions from lawmakers about measures for serious disasters.
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| Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jae-gap is giving a business report at a hearing on industrial accidents by the Environmental Labor Commission at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the morning of the 22nd. 2021.2.22/News1 © News1 Reporter Shin Woong-soo |