The Ministry of Employment and Labor said Ryu Hyeon-cheol, head of its Occupational Safety and Health Headquarters, hosted a discussion forum on Tuesday afternoon with the Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service under the theme “Listening to Injured Workers.”
The event was organized for the memorial week, held from April 28 to May 4, to remember those killed in industrial accidents and to comfort bereaved families. It was also the first memorial-week event since Ryu took office.
About 60 people attended, including members of the bereaved families’ network “Dasisneun,” representatives of industrial accident groups and injured workers.
Participants shared difficulties they faced while seeking workers’ compensation, problems in treatment, recuperation and rehabilitation, and areas where they said the system needs improvement. They also held an open discussion on the overall industrial accident insurance system.
They called for expanded support to help injured workers return to their jobs and daily lives after treatment, sustained welfare support for families, and greater assistance for related organizations.
Ryu said the government would work to “expand the scope of protection by eliminating blind spots in industrial accident insurance, build a fast and accurate compensation system, and support a return to work through early treatment and tailored assistance,” with the goal of making the country safer and healthier for workers.
He added that it was meaningful to communicate directly with injured workers and said the ministry would actively review the difficulties and proposals raised at the forum so they can be linked to policy.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.