Dignitaries, including Minister Kim Young-ju of the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) and President Park Doo-yong of the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA), attend a ceremony to open the Korea International Safety & Health Show that took place at COEX from July 2 to July 5.

MOEL Minister Kim experiences virtually reality at the Korea International Safety & Health Show. (Photos: KOSHA)

“Occupational health and safety (OHS) Buds,” “Safety Protects Lives,” and “Let’s Halve Fatalities” were slogans designed to enhance public awareness toward occupational health and safety at a ceremony to mark the 51st Safety & Health Week at the COEX in Samseong-dong, Seoul, on July 2. The slogans reminded about 30,000 participants at the event to stress the significance of OHS.
 The event to mark Occupational Safety and Health Day was hosted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) under catchphrase “Protect Lives, Korea Prioritizing Persons.”
The first week of every July has been designed Occupational Safety and Health Week Occupational Safety since 1968. Health Day falls on the first Monday of the week to emphasize the importance of OHS.
Among about 1,000 people on hand at an anniversary ceremony were MOEL Minister Kim Young-ju, KOSHA President Park Doo-yong and representatives from labor and civic organizations as well as Korea Employer’s Federation and Korea Federation of SMEs.
MOEL Minister Kim presented government awards to 20 people who contributed to the prevention of occupational accidents. The Order of Industrial Service Merit, Bronze Tower went to Lim Jae-gyu in charge of safety at the Gumi plant of Kolon Industries in recognition of his contribution to preventing major accidents, including fires and explosions during his 30-year career.
Executive Vice President Koh Dong-rin of Kyungrim Industrial was honored with the Order of Industrial Service Merit, Steel Tower for his contribution to developing safety guidelines on assessing danger and becoming the first SME in the Jeju area to receive an occupational safety and health management system certificate while Hyun Suk in charge of health management at Sowha Children’s Hospital was presented with the Order of Industrial Service Merit, Tin Tower for conducting special health checks for hospital officials and analyzing risk factors of musculoskeletal disorders to make the hospital a sound worksite.
The Industrial Service Medal went to Managing Director Yoo In-jong of Everland Resort, the first executive in charge of OHS of the group, Managing Director Kim Tae-hoon of SK Hynix, who played a leading part in the preventing of semiconductor occupational diseases, and Park Ui-yeon in charge of safety at Lotte Hotel for his contribution to preventing of industrial accidents at the service sector.
In her speech, MOEL Minister Kim said, “The government will mobilize all available resources to reduce industrial accident fatalities with a focus on such highly dangerous worksites as construction, shipbuilding and chemical sectors, and unfair practices related to OHS will be rectified by ramping up advance prevention of OHS surveillance.”