“Why can’t a child receive workers’ compensation when their father was exposed to hazardous substances at work and the child became ill?” Forum on ‘Miscarriage, Stillbirth, Paternal Occupational Disease in Children, and Discrimination by Time of Birth’ held at the National Assembly on the 19th
By Kim Sam-seok Originally published on News 365 (June 19, 2026)
“It is discrimination that children cannot even apply simply because they were born before the law took effect.” A forum was held at the National Assembly raising concerns about the limitations and blind spots of the current workers’ compensation system for children with health Party’s Industrial Accident Prevention Task Force along with the Representatives offices of Kim Ju young, Kim Tae-sun, Park Hae-cheol, Lee Yong-woo, Lee Hak-young, and Jung Hye kyung. It was held on June 19 at 10:00 AM in Conference Room 2 of the National Assembly Members’ Office Building. conditions caused by parental occupational exposure. Participants emphasized that all victims affected by workplace hazards should be protected, regardless of the parent’s gender or the timing of the child’s birth. The forum, titled “Who Is Protected and Who Is Excluded: Miscarriage, Stillbirth, Paternal Occupational Disease in Children, and Discrimination by Time of Birth,” was organized by the Labor Health Policy Forum and co hosted by the Democratic Although the current system has expanded to include children whose health was harmed due to occupational exposure during pregnancy, the forum was convened to address remaining gaps and inequalities. Experts and advocates criticized recognition the strongly lack standards of for miscarriage and stillbirth, the exclusion of children affected by paternal exposure, and restrictions on claims for children born before the law’s implementation. “Not a limit of medicine, but of the law” — Need for separate recognition standards for miscarriage and stillbirth Professor Kim Hyun-joo of Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital analyzed cases involving children with health impairments and claims related to miscarriage and stillbirth. She stressed that reproductive toxicity should be treated as an issue of the next generation’s right to health. Citing cases involving nurses at Jeju Medical Center and semiconductor workers, she noted that many rejected claims were not due to a lack of work relatedness, but rather the limited scope of the law. She highlighted the risks of spontaneous miscarriage linked to complex chemical exposure, shift work, and night work in semiconductor manufacturing.
Professor Kim also pointed out that there have been cases where authorities recognized a causal relationship between paternal exposure and children’s health conditions. Research and biological evidence continue to accumulate showing that male reproductive toxicity exposure can be linked to miscarriage, infertility, and congenital abnormalities. Substances such as lead, mercury, and organic solvents may also affect children’s neurodevelopment.
She emphasized that workers’ disability assessment system for children with congenital conditions, reflecting. developmental changes over time. perfect proof of all causes. Requiring strict medical proof could narrow the scope of protection. Despite tens of thousands of miscarriages occurring annually in Korea, only seven claims were filed over the past five years, largely due to lack of awareness, difficulty of proof, and absence of clear recognition standards. She proposed that miscarriage, stillbirth, and preterm birth be classified as occupational diseases, and that risk factors such as long working hours, shift and night work, heavy lifting, and exposure to reproductive toxins be included in enforcement regulations. She also called for a separate Professor Kim Hyun-joo of the Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, who served as the first presenter (far right in the photo) Photo Courtesy: Suwon Citizen Newspaper compensation insurance is a social insurance system that determines probable causation based on current medical and epidemiological knowledge, rather than requiring “Application deadlines expired before diagnosis” — Discriminatory provisions affecting children born before the law Labor attorney Jo Seung-gyu strongly criticized supplementary provisions that limit claims for children born before the law’s enactment to just one year. This restriction persists despite a Supreme Court ruling affirming that such claims are valid even under previous law. He pointed out that developmental disorders such as autism, intellectual disability, and ADHD are often diagnosed years after birth. “It is impossible to apply before even receiving a diagnosis,” he said, noting that many children lost their opportunity to claim compensation because the deadline had already passed by the time they were diagnosed. He cited Germany’s retroactive recognition of cases dating back to 1949 and Jo Seung-gyu, a SHARPS activist who gave the second presentation (center in the photo) Photo Courtesy: Suwon Citizen Newspaper ELECTRONICS 15 called for abolishing or significantly easing the deadline. Jo also shared cases involving workers at Samsung Electronics’ Giheung plant, where hazardous working conditions included direct manual handling of chemical baths (“dip work”) and continued exposure due to outdated equipment even after production line changes. “Managing paternal exposure is a public health issue for future generations” development, leading to miscarriage or birth defects. Toxic substances may also be transferred to pregnant partners through contaminated clothing or bodily fluids.
Studies show higher risks of congenital abnormalities among children of firefighters exposed to toxic gases, as well as increased risks of congenital heart defects linked to paternal exposure to chemicals like phthalates. Elevated risks have also been observed among occupations such as landscapers, gas and oil workers, and printers. Domestic research further shows increased risk of preterm birth when fathers are in manual labor jobs or when both parents are in high-risk occupations. Professor Choi emphasized the need to expand occupational health systems beyond a maternal focus to include both parents. Speakers in the discussion called for urgent policy reforms. Attorney Cho Hyun joo cited a Constitutional Court ruling emphasizing the state’s duty to protect workers’ safety and survival, arguing that equality standards in workers’ compensation should be strengthened. She criticized current provisions that effectively strip existing rights.
Choi Myung-sun of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions noted that three major semiconductor companies already provide compensation that includes paternal cases. “The issue is not the absence of victims, but the government’s narrow scope and complicated procedures that prevent claims,” she said, calling for immediate legal reform, extended application periods, and institutionalized review of occupational disease criteria. Lee Hyun-jae of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions pointed out that although over 1,000 chemicals are known to affect fetal health, only 17 are currently listed in enforcement regulations. He stressed that the key issue is not whether exposure is maternal or paternal, but whether harmful substances affected the child. He also criticized exclusion based solely on birth before the law’s enactment as contrary to the purpose of social security.### Professor Choi Seung-ah of Korea University College of Medicine presented medical and epidemiological evidence showing that paternal exposure to harmful substances can affect children’s health. She explained that occupational exposure in fathers can cause epigenetic changes in sperm, such as DNA methylation, and sperm DNA damage, which can directly impact fetal The third presenter, Professor Choi Seung-ah of Korea University College of Medicine Photo Courtesy: Suwon Citizen Newspaper Labor groups: “Even private companies recognize paternal cases—why does the government block them?”
Photo Courtesy: Suwon Citizen Newspape
“Why can’t a child receive workers’ compensation when their father was exposed to hazardous substances at work and the child became ill?” Forum on ‘Miscarriage, Stillbirth, Paternal Occupational Disease in Children, and Discrimination by Time of Birth’ held at the National Assembly on the 19th
By Kim Sam-seok Originally published on News 365 (June 19, 2026)
“It is discrimination that children cannot even apply simply because they were born before the law took effect.” A forum was held at the National Assembly raising concerns about the limitations and blind spots of the current workers’ compensation system for children with health Party’s Industrial Accident Prevention Task Force along with the Representatives offices of Kim Ju young, Kim Tae-sun, Park Hae-cheol, Lee Yong-woo, Lee Hak-young, and Jung Hye kyung. It was held on June 19 at 10:00 AM in Conference Room 2 of the National Assembly Members’ Office Building. conditions caused by parental occupational exposure. Participants emphasized that all victims affected by workplace hazards should be protected, regardless of the parent’s gender or the timing of the child’s birth. The forum, titled “Who Is Protected and Who Is Excluded: Miscarriage, Stillbirth, Paternal Occupational Disease in Children, and Discrimination by Time of Birth,” was organized by the Labor Health Policy Forum and co hosted by the Democratic Although the current system has expanded to include children whose health was harmed due to occupational exposure during pregnancy, the forum was convened to address remaining gaps and inequalities. Experts and advocates criticized recognition the strongly lack standards of for miscarriage and stillbirth, the exclusion of children affected by paternal exposure, and restrictions on claims for children born before the law’s implementation. “Not a limit of medicine, but of the law” — Need for separate recognition standards for miscarriage and stillbirth Professor Kim Hyun-joo of Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital analyzed cases involving children with health impairments and claims related to miscarriage and stillbirth. She stressed that reproductive toxicity should be treated as an issue of the next generation’s right to health. Citing cases involving nurses at Jeju Medical Center and semiconductor workers, she noted that many rejected claims were not due to a lack of work relatedness, but rather the limited scope of the law. She highlighted the risks of spontaneous miscarriage linked to complex chemical exposure, shift work, and night work in semiconductor manufacturing.
Professor Kim also pointed out that there have been cases where authorities recognized a causal relationship between paternal exposure and children’s health conditions. Research and biological evidence continue to accumulate showing that male reproductive toxicity exposure can be linked to miscarriage, infertility, and congenital abnormalities. Substances such as lead, mercury, and organic solvents may also affect children’s neurodevelopment.
She emphasized that workers’ disability assessment system for children with congenital conditions, reflecting. developmental changes over time. perfect proof of all causes. Requiring strict medical proof could narrow the scope of protection. Despite tens of thousands of miscarriages occurring annually in Korea, only seven claims were filed over the past five years, largely due to lack of awareness, difficulty of proof, and absence of clear recognition standards. She proposed that miscarriage, stillbirth, and preterm birth be classified as occupational diseases, and that risk factors such as long working hours, shift and night work, heavy lifting, and exposure to reproductive toxins be included in enforcement regulations. She also called for a separate Professor Kim Hyun-joo of the Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, who served as the first presenter (far right in the photo) Photo Courtesy: Suwon Citizen Newspaper compensation insurance is a social insurance system that determines probable causation based on current medical and epidemiological knowledge, rather than requiring “Application deadlines expired before diagnosis” — Discriminatory provisions affecting children born before the law Labor attorney Jo Seung-gyu strongly criticized supplementary provisions that limit claims for children born before the law’s enactment to just one year. This restriction persists despite a Supreme Court ruling affirming that such claims are valid even under previous law. He pointed out that developmental disorders such as autism, intellectual disability, and ADHD are often diagnosed years after birth. “It is impossible to apply before even receiving a diagnosis,” he said, noting that many children lost their opportunity to claim compensation because the deadline had already passed by the time they were diagnosed. He cited Germany’s retroactive recognition of cases dating back to 1949 and Jo Seung-gyu, a SHARPS activist who gave the second presentation (center in the photo) Photo Courtesy: Suwon Citizen Newspaper ELECTRONICS 15 called for abolishing or significantly easing the deadline. Jo also shared cases involving workers at Samsung Electronics’ Giheung plant, where hazardous working conditions included direct manual handling of chemical baths (“dip work”) and continued exposure due to outdated equipment even after production line changes. “Managing paternal exposure is a public health issue for future generations” development, leading to miscarriage or birth defects. Toxic substances may also be transferred to pregnant partners through contaminated clothing or bodily fluids.
Studies show higher risks of congenital abnormalities among children of firefighters exposed to toxic gases, as well as increased risks of congenital heart defects linked to paternal exposure to chemicals like phthalates. Elevated risks have also been observed among occupations such as landscapers, gas and oil workers, and printers. Domestic research further shows increased risk of preterm birth when fathers are in manual labor jobs or when both parents are in high-risk occupations. Professor Choi emphasized the need to expand occupational health systems beyond a maternal focus to include both parents. Speakers in the discussion called for urgent policy reforms. Attorney Cho Hyun joo cited a Constitutional Court ruling emphasizing the state’s duty to protect workers’ safety and survival, arguing that equality standards in workers’ compensation should be strengthened. She criticized current provisions that effectively strip existing rights.
Choi Myung-sun of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions noted that three major semiconductor companies already provide compensation that includes paternal cases. “The issue is not the absence of victims, but the government’s narrow scope and complicated procedures that prevent claims,” she said, calling for immediate legal reform, extended application periods, and institutionalized review of occupational disease criteria. Lee Hyun-jae of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions pointed out that although over 1,000 chemicals are known to affect fetal health, only 17 are currently listed in enforcement regulations. He stressed that the key issue is not whether exposure is maternal or paternal, but whether harmful substances affected the child. He also criticized exclusion based solely on birth before the law’s enactment as contrary to the purpose of social security.### Professor Choi Seung-ah of Korea University College of Medicine presented medical and epidemiological evidence showing that paternal exposure to harmful substances can affect children’s health. She explained that occupational exposure in fathers can cause epigenetic changes in sperm, such as DNA methylation, and sperm DNA damage, which can directly impact fetal The third presenter, Professor Choi Seung-ah of Korea University College of Medicine Photo Courtesy: Suwon Citizen Newspaper Labor groups: “Even private companies recognize paternal cases—why does the government block them?”
Photo Courtesy: Suwon Citizen Newspape