Siheung: President Lee Jae Myung on Friday visited a factory where a worker was killed after getting caught in a machine, saying he will stop industrial accidents from repeating themselves. The plant in Siheung, some 30 kilometers southwest of Seoul, is where a woman in her 50s was killed in May after her upper body got caught in a conveyor belt during lubrication work. It belongs to SPC Samlip Co., a confectionery unit under SPC Group.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee expressed condolences for the victims of industrial disasters while presiding over a meeting at the plant. "I pray for the souls of all the workers who passed away at industrial sites," he stated. Lee emphasized his commitment to creating a society where workplace fatalities are eradicated and the environments are safe and happy. Reflecting on his past as a child laborer at a baseball glove factory, which left him with a disability, Lee noted the persisting issue of worker deaths at industrial sites decades later.
Lee urged the creation of "realistic and detailed" measures to lower the fatality rate from industrial accidents, highlighting that South Korea has the highest rate among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development members. He acknowledged that some industrial disasters are unpredictable but stressed that repeated accidents at the same site indicate a systemic problem.
In response to the incident, SPC Samlip announced plans to invest an additional 62.4 billion won (US$45.2 million) by 2027 to enhance worker safety. CEO Kim Beom-soo outlined that the investment would focus on upgrading safety equipment, automating hazardous tasks, improving the working environment, and fortifying machinery safety. Additionally, the company committed over 8 billion won to increase safety personnel and cultivate a stronger safety culture. Previously, in 2022, SPC Group had pledged to invest 100 billion won over three years to improve workplace safety.