• Korean journal of communication and information
• /
• v.79
• /
• pp.40-69
• /
• 2016

This study examines how the Korean media has covered the leukemia case of Samsung workers. The news articles on the cases, published in the three terrestrial broadcasting stations, the five major newspapers, progressive Internet news media, conservative Internet news media, and business newspapers between 2007 and 2015, were retrieved and analyzed. Four characteristics of news reports were discovered as following: First, while conservative news media and business news media have exnominated the first phase of the case in which a civil organization Sharp claimed that Samsung workers had leukemia from their workplace; they have nominated the second phase of the case in which Samsung attempted to solve the problem by compensating the victims for their disease. Second, the media generally have displayed more interests in the results than in the causes of the case. Third, the conservative press and business newspapers have reported the case in favor of Samsung rather than laborer victims. Fourth, the conservative press have deployed market-friendly discourses, rather than problematizing the state and civil society. Through an abduktive analysis, this study argues that except the Hangyore and Kyunghyang Shinmun, most of the Korean media, assuming pro-business attitude, do not question or clarify where the responsibility of the industrial disaster lies by displaying their interests in the phase of solution, not in the phase of cause.

• Journal of Science and Technology Studies
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.5-62
• /
• 2018

Over the last 10 years, the fight against occupational diseases of semiconductor workers led by SHARPS(the Supporters for the Health And Rights of People in the Semiconductor industry, NGO) has accomplished considerable achievements, especially in the legal and institutional aspects. First, the court and the government accepted the claims that 24 injured workers respectively filed, recognizing their 10 types of diseases as occupational illness. The court not only expanded the list of work places and diseases that it recognized, but also presented more progressive logic of recognition. The most remarkable achievement among them is the case ruled by the Supreme court in July, 2017. In terms of 'worker's right to know', which is the most important factor in preventing occupational diseases, there have been significant legislative bills, court rulings and government guidelines. The revised bill of the Industrial Safety and Health Act to strengthen workers' rights to know and to introduce the pre-review system on trade secret is currently under review by the National Assembly. The court recently ruled that the government should disclose its inspection results on safety and health management at semiconductor factories. The ministry of labor has drawn up internal guidelines to more actively open its safety and health data to public. This study looks over recent developments in such rulings, bills and guidelines and then, analyzes their implications, laying the groundwork for future actions for worker health in the electronic industry.