Global Disaster Management Agencies Focus on 'Korea 119' COVID-19 Response System

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] On the 14th, the National Fire Agency announced that it held a session to share South Korea's systematic response system to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), which was selected as a best practice by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), with disaster management agencies worldwide.

Established in 1991, UN OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) is an international organization that carries out humanitarian work related to disasters and conflicts worldwide.

The event, held via video conference for one hour starting at 8 p.m. (Korean time) on the 9th, was attended by 42 senior disaster management officials from 10 countries including the UN, Italy, and China, who showed great interest in South Korea's fire service COVID-19 response system.

The National Fire Agency explained South Korea's COVID-19 situation, the whole-of-government response system, the role and duties of the fire service, lessons learned from COVID-19 response experience, and plans to strengthen the fire service's capabilities in preparation for future international deployments. Jin Jeong-hee, Fire Lieutenant Colonel of the 119 Rescue Division (Head of the Emergency Rescue and Counterterrorism Team) at the National Fire Agency, who participated as a presenter, said, "Foreign participants expressed high interest and envy toward South Korea's fire system, which operates in a well-coordinated manner at the national level."

The host, UN OCHA, expressed gratitude, saying, "Sharing good experiences among member states in the current difficult situation, including the matters discussed on the day related to international rescue activities, is the reason for the existence of international organizations," according to the National Fire Agency.

The National Fire Agency plans to send the presentation materials to all participants for sharing and actively support future requests, aiming to widely promote the excellence of K-Fire along with K-Quarantine to the world.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.