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On Tuesday, October 15, NewJeans was spotted taking a selca (selfie) with 54-year-old Jeong In-seop, the President of Hanwha Ocean’s Geoje Plant, at the National Assembly audit. He was present at the audit as a representative of the company.
The inquiry comes after five workers passed away at the Hanwha Ocean work sites this year alone due to the lack of proper safety measures. The company was also banned from functioning for around a month due to this and was fined around 300M KRW for his company's violation of 61 regulations that are required to be followed by the working site.
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Therefore, the President of Hanwha Ocean’s Geoje Plant was summoned to the National Assembly audit which is inspecting the company's activities. On the other hand, NewJeans's Hanni was also present at the audit, conducted by the Environment and Labour committee, to speak regarding workplace harassment with respect to HYBE Labels and the new ADOR CEO, Kim Ju-young.
After Hanni went back to her seat post her speech at the National Assembly, Jeong In-seop, who was seated in front of her, pulled out his phone and took a selfie with her. This photo soon went viral on the internet and many fans seemed unhappy with the interaction.
More about Hanwha Ocean's Geoje Plant President Jeong In-seop and the National Assembly Audit's inspection of the company
On October 15, the National Assembly Audit summoned Jeong In-seop, the President of Hanwha Ocean’s Geoje Plant, a South Korean Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering company. During the audit, Jeong Hye-kyung of the Progressive Party stated that a worker at the company passed away on October 9 due to the lack of proper safety measures on the site.
The accident happened to a subcontracted worker in his 40s. He was reported to have been welding at Hanwha Ocean and fell from a height of 32 meters, leading to his death. Following this, a work stoppage was issued for the relevant work section at Hanwha Ocean. However, the work stoppage was lifted by the company on the very next day, October 10.
As reported by Naver, Jeong Hye-kyung also added that the required safety measure to lift the work stoppage was not implemented, therefore still endangering the lives of the other workers at Hanwha Ocean. Here's what he said during the audit:
“They are interpreting (the requirements for lifting the work stoppage) too narrowly and are only implementing a formal work stoppage. They are lifting the order despite the lack of proper safety measures, so in reality, the workers’ safety is not being protected.”
Additionally, the Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Hak-young stated, with the proof of pictures from the working site, that the accident that took place on October 9 was due to poor quality safety railings, ropes, and netting that are supposed to prevent falls. However, during the audit, Jeong In-seop stated that the responsibility for the safety measures was in the hands of the general contractor.
“Basically, the subcontractor is responsible for all safety management.”
He also mentioned that the work stoppage was lifted in accordance with the Occupational Safety and Health Act and after consulting 175 container workers and subcontractor workers.
Regardless, Jeong In-seop was still criticized by netizens, including NewJeans' fans following his interaction with Hanni at the National Assembly Audit.
