South Korea Reviews Toxins Data Disclosure Process

by Karen Lydelle Linaja / Aug 13, 2016 10:03 AM EDT

South Korea plans to review the process of government's handling of sick workers' inquiries about the workplace toxins and to know if there was any negligence. An investigation conducted by the Associated Press found that the Korean government withheld repeatedly such information following requests from the Samsung Company.

On Friday, Ko Dong-woo, a director at the Labor Ministry, said that the ministry got the AP report and would ensure the government officials to properly evaluate and check information requests from workers seeking government compensation for work-related illnesses.

"We take the news report seriously," Ko said.

On Wednesday, the Associated Press (AP) reported about the workers' compensation cases which involves atleast 10 former Samsung Electronics Company semiconductor and display plant workers with different diseases.

The regulators allowed Samsung to use the so-called trade secrets concerns to stop the release of information regarding the exposure to toxins. However, it is almost impossible to get a government compensation when there are no data to be shown.

Samsung is the biggest employer so far in South Korea. On wednesday, Samsung responded to the AP's report. "The claim that Samsung Electronics intentionally blocked workers from accessing chemical information pertaining to workplace health and safety, or illegally prevented the disclosure of such information, is not true," Samsung said. The company did not respond immediately to a request for comment on the government official's statement.

Kang Byungwon, a member of the main opposition at Minjoo party, said that when the labor ministry conducted an investigation in the workplace safety at a Samsung chip factory after a deadly incident happened in 2013, the findings were not disclosed to lawmakers, on grounds of protecting trade secrets.

Kang mentioned that the South Korean legislators are planning of proposing an approval system for trade secrets so that experts must judge whether there are valid and legitimate reasons to withhold information about toxins and chemical substances as trade secrets.