(LEAD) Parties to launch task force on public safety

(ATTN: ADDS background on pension reform plan in last para)

SEOUL, Oct. 21 (Yonhap) -- Rival political parties agreed Tuesday to launch a task force to tackle public safety issues in the wake of last week's deadly accident at a pop concert that left more than two dozen people killed or injured.

Sixteen people were confirmed dead and 11 others seriously injured after a ventilation shaft covered with poorly supported steel grates collapsed under the weight of people standing on it during the Friday night concert in Seongnam, a satellite city just outside of Seoul.

The accident renewed fears about public safety in a nation still reeling from the trauma of April's ferry sinking that left more than 300 people dead or missing.

The agreement on the task force was reached during a weekly meeting between the floor leaders of the ruling Saenuri Party and main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy earlier in the day.

The parties also agreed to each form a task force to handle the issue of reforming pensions for civil servants, a controversial issue that has been met with fierce resistance from government workers.

The separate task forces will hold joint meetings when necessary, they said.

Pension reform is a key agenda item included in President Park Geun-hye's three-year economic innovation plan announced in February.

On Sunday, presidential chief of staff Kim Ki-choon met with senior government and ruling party officials and urged them to help pass the reform bill before the year's end, a senior presidential official said.

"(Kim) told the party that (the pension reform) must be passed within the year as it can't be delayed when trillions of won in taxes are being spent on the program each year and our population is aging at the fastest rate (in the world)," the official said in a meeting with reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"With public opinion more in favor of reform, if it isn't done properly, people will question whether the ruling forces really have the will for reform."

On Friday, the government unveiled a draft plan for pension reform that calls for raising contributions by a maximum 41 percent and reducing entitlements by a maximum 34 percent for civil servants hired before 2016.

hague@yna.co.kr
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