New development: Improving accident compensation for public officials

Abstract

IMPACT Public officials undertake challenging tasks to ensure safety and order in society; however, accidents can still occur at their workplace. In the event of an occupational accident, compensation is often dealt with as a labour, welfare, or legal issue in many countries; as such, there is little discussion on accident compensation in the public management field. In this context, the South Korean government’s accident compensation experience will be a useful reference for public management to improve accident compensation systems in other countries. The South Korean government implemented compensation reforms for public officials’ accidents in 2018 and enacted the Public Officials’ Accident Compensation Act to address the various identified problems. Consequently, after 2018, the Ministry of Personnel Management took charge of accident compensation for public officials and delivered the relevant services in a more transparent and accountable manner. Thus, the overall quality of public officials’ accident compensation has improved. In addition to providing examples and lessons for other jurisdictions, this study makes recommendations for improvements in South Korea.