Reward system takes effect Jan. 28 — open to all citizens, not just workers on site
No annual cap on payouts; Labor Ministry to set safeguards against false reports
A reward system offering up to 5 million won ($3,750) per report for disclosing concealed workplace accidents or violations of occupational safety and health standards will be introduced next year.
The government plans to open the reporting channel to all citizens — not just workers at the site in question — and will place no annual cap on the number of payouts. The initiative aims to close blind spots in workplace safety oversight through public participation, though the construction industry has raised concerns that bounty-hunting could trigger a flood of indiscriminate reports.
According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the National Law Information Center, the reward provisions of the amended Occupational Safety and Health Act — promulgated Oct. 27 — take effect Jan. 28. The revised law allows rewards, within budgetary limits, to be paid to anyone who reports a violation of the act or orders issued under it.
Specific eligibility criteria, amounts and procedures will be set out in subordinate regulations. The Labor Ministry plans to finalize the detailed standards before the end of this year, timed to the confirmation of the government budget.
The ministry is preparing a three-tier reward structure based on the severity of the violation: 50,000 won, 500,000 won or a maximum of 5 million won per report. Minor safety and health violations would earn the reporter 50,000 won per case.
Reports involving major violations linked to six high-risk hazard categories — falls, entanglement, collisions, crushing and overturning, being struck by objects, and fire — would draw 500,000 won per case. Intentional or serious violations, such as concealing a workplace accident, would qualify for the maximum 5 million won per report.
Eligibility to file a report is not limited to workers at the relevant workplace. Any member of the public who witnesses a dangerous working condition or a violation may also submit a report. The ministry plans to operate a dedicated intake office — a workplace safety reward reporting center — when the system launches.
The government believes that identifying hazards through public reports and addressing them quickly will strengthen prevention of serious workplace accidents, supplementing the reality that safety inspectors alone cannot check every risk factor at worksites across the country.
No annual limit will be placed on the number of reward payments. The ministry had initially considered capping payouts at three times a year with a ceiling of 10 million won, but shifted toward an uncapped approach after President Lee Jae Myung emphasized the enforcement value of public reporting in April and directed the ministry to expand the scheme.
The construction industry worries that reward-seeking reports could concentrate on large job sites, where the sheer number of simultaneous operations could lead to repeated filings over temporary lapses in safety management. Industry representatives have also raised the possibility that the system could be abused as a tool for false or repetitive reporting amid labor-management disputes.
The Labor Ministry said it will strictly verify the facts behind each report and put safeguards in place to screen out false or malicious submissions, with the aim of designing the system so that expanded reporting translates into genuine hazard improvements and accident prevention.
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