(Unofficial Translation)

Let me begin the 53rd Cabinet Meeting. 

Good morning. Today’s meeting will be held via video conferencing. I am glad to see the ministers participating from the Government Complex in Sejong. 

What has never happened before is now transpiring – the passage of budget proposals for next year was delayed and 22 other budget-related bills, including tax codes, have yet to be passed at the National Assembly. Many complications may arise, but I urge you all to make prompt and thorough preparations for budget allocation and disbursement plans by immediately going into budget execution mode so that such key projects as jobs programs can be implemented as scheduled from January next year. In addition, I call upon you to take extra care to inform the public about their eligibility for benefits so that none of them miss out simply because they are unaware of such benefits.

Today, bills intended to enhance traffic safety will be promulgated. These bills memorialize two children – Minsik and Hajun – who lost their lives due to tragic accidents. These accidents could have been prevented had the proper safety equipment been put in place. We have to accept this as an opportunity, albeit with excruciating circumstances, to drastically reinforce traffic safety.

In particular, we need painstaking measures in regard to traffic accidents involving children. The main objective is preventing accidents, not delivering punishment. Along with the increase in the number of school zones across the country, we have to make drivers see how important these are so that they can recognize them in advance and drive in a cautious manner. I urge you to work with local governments to help raise the effectiveness of measures to strengthen traffic safety in school zones. At the same time, I hope that all the children safety bills still pending in the National Assembly, including those named after children who have left us – Haneum, Taeho, Yuchan and Haein – will be passed as quickly as possible.

The Government’s continued endeavors, coupled with strong determination, can actually reduce safety accidents. Since last year, this Administration has pushed for three projects to protect the lives of the people with the aim of drastically reducing deaths in three key areas: traffic safety, industrial safety and suicide prevention. A pan-government implementation system was established and has been managed in a systematic manner. As a result, it was found that fatal accidents have been markedly decreasing, especially with regard to traffic and industrial safety.

As of last month, deaths from drunk driving were down 33 percent compared to last year, and fatal accidents involving commercial vehicles such as cargo trucks, buses and taxis decreased 16 percent. In addition to the sharp decline in deaths involving construction cranes, which typify industrial accidents, deaths from industrial accidents across the board have reportedly fallen, including construction, manufacturing, transportation and warehousing. 

However, we can’t afford to become complacent. Public safety is a key goal in the state affairs of this Administration. The people have the right to be safe from disasters and protected from danger, and the country’s responsibility for the lives and safety of its people is limitless. This is why our Government is making extraordinary efforts to reduce deaths in the three aforementioned areas while strengthening its response system against massive disasters.

I urge you to remain more alert to traffic safety. Last weekend, there was an unfortunate accident that entailed many casualties. It was caused by so-called black ice. I ask you to conduct an emergency inspection of traffic safety measures for the winter season in order to reduce the risk of accidents from such factors as snow and ice on roads. In particular, the priority is to come up with safety measures on sections of roads where there’s a high possibility of black ice forming. With regard to frequent accidents involving vessels, I call upon the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Korea Coast Guard to give special attention to relevant countermeasures.  

Extraordinary efforts are needed with regard to industrial disasters. The Government has taken pains to enhance workplace safety while communicating with those directly involved. The Occupational Safety and Health Act has been completely revised for the first time in 28 years: the Act expands the responsibilities of the original contractor; restricts the subcontracting of hazardous work; and strengthens safety measures for contract workers, who are mostly self-employed, and construction workers, who account for half of all industrial accident fatalities. The related enforcement decree will be voted on today. The social safety net was strengthened by expanding the scope of eligible workers who can subscribe to workers’ compensation insurance. Last week, a plan to strengthen safety in the power generation sector was announced. 

Following the death of a young man, which drove many honest working people into a state of despair, these measures were prepared after nearly a year of public discussions. I believe that this is a meaningful start to addressing the issue of outsourcing dangerous work because a first step is needed in order to take the next. I urge the Government to strictly monitor how these measures are implemented in cooperation with power plants and the special occupational safety investigative committee on coal-fired power plants. There is criticism that the measures are insufficient, but first of all, the measures that have already been laid out should be thoroughly enforced.

Safety is the basis of the people’s lives and the measure of a mature society. We have to be more tenacious and steadfast in monitoring and managing safety overall. Safety should never be considered a wasted expense but an investment to increase competitiveness and productivity. Even if specific responsibilities for safety management lie in the private sector or even if relevant public discourse or legislation is delayed, the Government must bear the ultimate responsibility for safety. The Government has to renew its commitment and respond resolutely in order to protect the people’s lives and safety – from national disasters down to everyday occurrences.

In particular, we must never forget the fact that these traffic safety bills, the Occupational Safety and Health Act and measures to enhance safety in the power generation industry, which will be discussed today, are all due to the tears of victims and bereaved families.