Seoul, Dec 12 (NationPress) The South Korean government is set to unveil a special law aimed at enhancing construction workplace safety and imposing stricter penalties for incidents resulting in fatalities, as revealed by the Land Minister on Friday. This initiative comes in light of a rising number of accidents occurring at construction sites.

During a policy briefing for President Lee Jae Myung held in the central city of Sejong, Land Minister Kim Yun-duk stated that fatalities associated with construction work comprise nearly 40 percent of all industrial deaths in South Korea, as reported by Yonhap News Agency.

Minister Kim explained that the proposed law will clearly outline safety responsibilities on-site and enable authorities to apply stricter penalties in cases of fatal accidents due to inadequate oversight.

In addition to the construction sector, the minister indicated that safety measures would also be implemented in transportation infrastructure, highlighting the government's intention to improve aviation safety through airport facility upgrades and the addition of air traffic controllers.

Regarding housing initiatives, Kim reiterated the government's commitment to deliver 1.1 million public housing units, a significant aspect of the administration's agenda, with details expected to be announced in the first half of 2026.

Since taking office in June, President Lee has emphasized the necessity for stronger strategies to avert industrial accidents, prompted by a series of such occurrences at major construction firms.

The most recent incident occurred on Thursday, resulting in the deaths of two workers, with two others still unaccounted for following the collapse of a steel structure at a library construction site in Gwangju, located in the southwest region of the country.

Search operations for the missing workers were temporarily suspended on Friday as officials sought to stabilize the fallen structure to ensure the safety of rescuers.

The Gwangju Fire Headquarters reported that the search and rescue efforts, which have now entered their second day, would be on hold until 6 p.m. to carry out necessary stabilization measures due to fears of further collapses.

Rescue teams conducted an overnight search for the two missing workers believed to be trapped beneath twisted steel and concrete debris following the incident at 1:58 p.m. on Thursday, approximately 300 kilometers south of Seoul.

Initially, four workers were trapped at the site, with firefighters managing to recover two; one was confirmed dead at the scene, while the other succumbed to injuries later at the hospital.

In an interagency meeting, rescue personnel underscored the importance of clearing debris and searching for the missing individuals while fully ensuring safety.

Officials suspect that the collapse was triggered as workers were pouring concrete onto the rooftop of the two-story structure, leading to the ground floors dropping to the underground level.

Rescue teams have been cautiously progressing to the underground area, where the workers are presumed to be, cutting through entangled rebar that has complicated the search.

Challenges have arisen as the concrete mixture began to harden within the debris, prompting officials to use shovels to clear it out and pour water to dilute the mixture.

The library, currently under construction, is being developed by the Gwangju metropolitan government on the site of a former waste incineration facility.