[국감] Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service raises controversy over classification of Samsung Electronics radiation exposure accident as ‘disease’… Point out the prolonged industrial accident treatment (comprehensive)

[세종=뉴스핌] Reporter Yang Ga-hee = Samsung Electronics Vice President (CSO) Yoon Tae-yang appeared as a witness at the government audit of an agency under the Ministry of Employment and Labor held on the 22nd and was criticized for the serious radiation exposure disaster at the Giheung factory.

The Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service also came under fire for judging Samsung Electronics’ radiation exposure accident as a ‘disease’ immediately after the accident.

On this day, the National Assembly’s Environment and Labor Committee conducted a government audit of agencies affiliated with the Ministry of Employment and Labor, including the Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service. In addition to the Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service, the audited organizations include Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, Human Resources Development Service of Korea, Korea Employment Agency for the Disabled, Korea Employment Information Service, Korea Polytechnic, Korea University of Technology and Education, Korea Labor-Management Development Foundation, Construction Workers’ Mutual Aid Association, Korea Social Enterprise Promotion Agency, There are a total of 12 places including Korea Job World and Korea Employment and Labor Training Institute.

◆ Samsung Electronics, Chairman Lee Jae-yong and the Giheung Plant radiation accident are not involved in the accident… Criticism of ‘Saving Chairman Lee Jae-yong’

Samsung Electronics Vice President Yoon Tae-yang said, “We are deeply examining” whether the radiation exposure incident at Samsung Electronics’ Giheung factory was a serious disaster.

Last May, two workers at Samsung Electronics’ Giheung factory were exposed to radiation while maintaining semiconductor wafer analysis equipment. After the incident occurred, Samsung Electronics claimed that it was a ‘disease’. The Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service also classified the accident as a ‘disease’.

Taeyang Yoon, Vice President of Samsung Electronics (CSO), appears as a witness and takes an oath at the National Assembly’s Environment and Labor Committee’s audit of government affairs under the Ministry of Employment and Labor on the 22nd. [캡처=국회 인터넷의사중계시스템] 2024.10.22 [email protected]

On the 11th of this month, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced its position that the incident was an ‘injury’ rather than a ‘disease’ and that it was a serious disaster in which two or more people were injured and needed medical care for more than three months. Afterwards, the Labor and Wear Corporation revised its decision in accordance with the judgment of the Ministry of Employment and Labor. Samsung Electronics is said to have requested a re-evaluation of whether it constitutes a serious disaster.

According to the current Serious Accident Act, corporate managers who do not properly establish a safety management system must be held responsible when workers are injured or die due to industrial accidents.

Vice President Yoon maintained that the matter had nothing to do with Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong. When Rep. Lee Yong-woo of the Democratic Party of Korea asked, “Did Samsung Electronics report (the issue) to Chairman Lee Jae-yong and receive instructions (to prepare countermeasures)?” Vice President Yoon responded, “I did not report it and did not receive instructions.”

Rep. Lee Yong-woo commented on Vice President Yoon’s response, saying, “When it is defined as a serious disaster, it is ‘saving Chairman Lee Jae-yong’ who can be included as a manager under the Severe Accident Punishment Act.”

The Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service’s attitude toward Samsung Electronics’ radiation exposure also emerged as a source of controversy. Rep. Lee Hak-young of the Democratic Party of Korea said to Park Jong-gil, chairman of the Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service, on the same day, “It was an obvious work-related accident due to a defective device, but the Corporation judged it to be a disease rather than a work-related accident.” He added, “The Corporation’s decision had a substantial impact on Samsung’s avoidance of legal responsibility.” “He criticized.

Rep. Lee Hak-young said, “This incident is a representative example of a company abusing the corporation’s classification of disaster types as a means of avoiding legal responsibility,” and requested, “Please come up with improvement measures to prevent such incidents.”

◆ Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service is tired of being criticized for ‘delayed’ industrial accident processing

The Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service was also criticized for its tendency to lengthen the processing period for industrial accidents excessively. Representative Kim Tae-seon of the Democratic Party of Korea pointed out in a government audit of the Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service on the 22nd, “The biggest problem with the current industrial accident insurance is the lack of prompt processing.”

Rep. Kim said, “According to the Industrial Accident Insurance Act, rapid progress is one of the essential purposes of the system,” and criticized, “If you look at the industrial accident recognition rate over the past five years, the number of lawsuits has generally increased, while the speed of investigation is gradually slowing down.”

Rep. Kim said, “If you look at the status of occupational disease-related lawsuits over the past six years, the number of cases filed in 2019 is 2,640, 3,505 in 2023, and 3,314 in August of this year. This year is likely to be the highest. The loss rate is 10% in 2019.” “It was 14.4% in 2022 and 15.6% in August of this year,” he pointed out.

Representative Kim Tae-seon of the Democratic Party of Korea (right) is questioning Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service Chairman Park Jong-gil (left) during the National Assembly audit of the Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service on the 22nd. [캡처=국회인터넷의사중계시스템] 2024.10.22 [email protected]

Park Jong-gil, chairman of the Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service, explained that factors such as the significant increase in the number of industrial accident applications over the past three years had an impact.

Rep. Kim refuted, “There is no explanation for the increase in the loss rate,” and “The overall increase in the loss rate means that the Corporation made a wrong decision.”

Prolongation of industrial accident disposal is also on the agenda. Rep. Kim said, “As disaster investigation and epidemiological investigation are prolonged, many people have died while waiting for industrial accident approval. 149 people have died in the past five years.” He added, “The corporation should not passively (recognize industrial accident) and the causal relationship is somewhat unclear.” “Even if there is considerable validity, I think there is a need for a presumption principle that recognizes it as an industrial accident,” he said.

Ahn Ho-young, Chairman of the Labor and Welfare Committee, also said, “The corporation’s loss rate in relation to noise-induced hearing loss and pneumoconiosis cases is on the rise. If losses are repeated due to court judgments, I believe that the corporation’s standards should be changed to match the court’s standards to lower the loss rate and resolve cases quickly. “He pointed out.

Meanwhile, Park Soon-gwan, CEO of Aricell, who was selected as a witness for the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s comprehensive audit on the 25th, submitted a letter of reason for non-appearance to the Foreign Exchange and Labor Committee this morning. Accordingly, the Hwannow Committee issued an accompanying order.

Ahn Ho-young, chairman of the Hwan-ro Committee, said, “The witness has an obligation to appear at the government audit to clearly convey his apology to the bereaved family and the public for the Aricel fire accident and to clearly express his intention to make serious efforts to compensate for the damage and recover in the future.” emphasized. However, even if an accompanying order is issued, there is no way to force them to come if they are imprisoned in a detention center like Representative Park.

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