The main opposition Democratic Party(DP) on Thursday rejected the ruling People Power Party's (PPP) proposal to extend the grace period of a workplace accident law for small businesses with less than 50 employees.

Explaining the DP’s move on the Serious Accident Punishment Act, floor leader Hong Ihk-pyo said the party decided to prioritize the fundamental value of life and safety of workers at industrial sites as it rejected the ruling party’s proposal.

The two sides initially agreed to hold talks on the extension of the grace period as the PPP accepted the DP's demand to set up a government agency on industrial safety as a precondition.

However, after the DP's general meeting, the party decided to reject the proposal and the revised grace period bill was not handled at the plenary session.