Lee Hae-rin is a City Desk reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues, tourism and taekwondo. She is passionate about speaking up for the rights of minorities, including women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and animals as well as discovering the latest makgeolli trend in town. Feel free to reach her at lhr@koreatimes.co.kr.
Lee vows workplace reforms to build stronger social safety net, reduce industrial deaths
President Lee Jae Myung speaks during the State Affairs Planning Committee's national address on the state agenda at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap
By Lee Hae-rin
The Lee Jae Myung administration will bolster Korea’s social safety net, centering efforts on safeguarding people from industrial accidents that have long plagued the nation, the State Affairs Planning Committee announced, Wednesday.
The moves represent a cornerstone of the president's state agenda and mark a decisive response to Korea’s persistently high industrial fatality rates.
The announcement was made during the committee’s national address on the five-year state agenda at Cheong Wa Dae, the former official presidential office. The committee, headed by Chair Lee Han-joo, was established on July 16 with a 60-day mandate to craft the new administration’s core policies, following Lee’s victory in the snap presidential election and the assumption of office without the usual two-month transition period.
According to the report, the government aims to strengthen the nation’s safety net by implementing more effective industrial accident prevention measures, expanding workers’ compensation coverage and significantly reducing fatalities in the labor sector.
Korea’s death rate from industrial accidents remains one of the highest among the 38 OECD member countries. Korea recorded 827 occupational deaths in 2023, an occupational fatality rate of about 0.39 deaths per 10,000 workers, compared to the OECD average of 0.29.
The government intends to reduce Korea's rate to the OECD average within five years, driven by strict safety reforms and increased workplace oversight.
Lee’s empathy for vulnerable workers is rooted in his own background. Born in poverty in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, he began working in factories as a child and suffered a workplace accident at age 13. Since taking office, Lee has responded with severity to a series of industrial fatalities, setting a new benchmark for accountability and preventive action.
President Lee Jae Myung speaks to Interior Minister Yoon Ho-jung about industrial deaths during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Seoul's Yongsan District, July 29. Yonhap
Following multiple fatal accidents at major construction firms, Lee publicly condemned the recurrence of workplace deaths as “murder by willful negligence” and “societal homicide.” He has ordered the government to report every workplace fatality directly to him, while also directing the labor ministry to carry out sweeping investigations.
Another cornerstone of the president’s blueprint is strengthening the state’s role in public safety. The government plans to enact new legislation that codifies its accountability for protecting citizens from large-scale social disasters and climate-related calamities.
The reforms also target gaps in the welfare system and establish personalized assistance frameworks for vulnerable social groups, including people with disabilities, youth, low-income earners and the elderly.
Measures include improving the basic livelihood security program, using artificial intelligence to identify and support underserved populations and creating tailored assistance systems for people with disabilities. Expanded home-based care services will allow the elderly to age in place rather than entering care facilities or hospitals, while integrated community care networks will provide broader local support.
Public health care will also be strengthened through the expansion and innovation of public hospitals, improvement of essential medical compensation systems and efforts to address regional and specialty-based disparities in medical services. The reforms include restructuring pediatric and emergency care systems to ensure more equitable access to critical health care.
In addition, the administration seeks to enhance protections for women by bolstering support for victims of dating violence, stalking and digital sex crimes, while guaranteeing sexual and reproductive health rights.
Labor protections in small workplaces will also be reinforced, ensuring a more comprehensive approach to social welfare and public safety.