Workplace safety once again tops President Lee's Cabinet meeting

Workplace safety was once again at the center of Tuesday's Cabinet meeting, as President Lee Jae Myung discussed ways to end the recent string of fatal industrial accidents with his Cabinet.

Our Presidential Office correspondent Song Yoo-jin reports.

At a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, President Lee Jae Myung again emphasized the need to move away from what he called a "regressive republic of industrial accidents."

"When preventable accidents are left unprevented, especially when cutting costs to save money takes someone's life, that, as I've said before, is the same as murder by willful negligence, a form of societal murder."

The country has seen a string of fatal industrial accidents this year, with the most recent one happening last Friday, when a worker fell to his death while dismantling a safety net at an apartment construction site.

The next day, President Lee ordered the Labor Ministry to report on the preventive and follow-up measures for industrial accidents at Tuesday's Cabinet meeting.

"After hearing from the Labor Ministry, the President noted that not a single major construction company has been penalized under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, and called for a penalty surcharge system to ensure companies secure adequate budget for safety measures."

The Land Ministry reported its own plan to address major construction-related accidents.

President Lee suggested harsher measures, such as permanently barring unsafe companies from public tenders and offering substantial rewards for whistleblowers who report poor safety management.

He also touched on inter-Korean relations, noting the dismantling of loudspeakers by both sides.

"In line with our actions, I hope the North will also remove unnecessary and costly loudspeakers. Through such reciprocal steps, I hope dialogue and communication between the two Koreas will gradually open."

Following Seoul's complete removal of its loudspeakers used for anti-North Korea broadcasts, South Korea's military says it has detected signs of the North beginning to dismantle some of its own along the border.

Song Yoo-jin, Arirang News.