"1 year after deadly factory fire, safety reforms for migrant workers still on hold"

A year has passed since a catastrophic fire ripped through a lithium battery plant in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, killing 23 people, most of them foreign workers. Yet many of the promised safety measures remain unfulfilled, casting doubt on the government’s commitment to protecting the country’s essential migrant labor force.

Despite the completion of a government study last year to outline an implementation plan for mandating occupational safety and health training for all foreign workers, progress on vital safety provisions has since stalled...

...the Hwaseong fire exposed glaring gaps in workplace safety and education — especially for foreign workers...

Just three weeks after the tragedy, the government vowed to revise the Occupational Safety and Health Act to mandate safety training for all foreign workers, regardless of visa status. Officials also pledged to integrate safety education into existing support programs and extend training hours for those entering Korea under the Employment Permit System.

But a year later, none of these promises have materialized...

To date, not a single workplace has received government assistance for installing fire safety systems, and safety design improvements have been carried out at only three sites