Jeon Hae-cheol "Full-scale Response to COVID-19 ... Proactive Prevention of New and Complex Disasters"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Jeon Hae-cheol, nominee for Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, stated, "We will create an environment where the public can live with peace of mind by proactively preventing disasters and responding effectively."

In his opening remarks at the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 22nd, Jeon named public safety as the first of three key tasks he plans to prioritize as Minister of the Interior and Safety.

He emphasized, "The Ministry of the Interior and Safety must protect the safety of the people from various disasters and accidents," adding, "While making an all-out effort to respond to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), as the central agency overseeing disaster safety, we will proactively prevent various disasters caused by climate change and respond effectively to new and complex disasters through smooth cooperation between central ministries and local governments."

He continued, "Disasters first and more severely affect the vulnerable, freezing the lives of ordinary people and local economies," and said, "We will secure a safety net for disaster-vulnerable groups and strive for recovery to daily life."

He also promised to realize practical decentralization. Jeon said, "We will thoroughly prepare follow-up legislation to diversify institutional structures, ensure the independence of personnel authority in local councils, and activate resident participation so that the revised Local Autonomy Act passed in this regular session of the National Assembly can be smoothly implemented at the local level," explaining, "We will institutionalize horizontal cooperation between central and local governments and strengthen the autonomy and responsibility of local governments as well as the role of finances in overcoming crises by expanding local finances."

He further stated, "To promote government innovation in preparation for the future society, we will fully open public data that can be made open, and the government will also provide initial funding for building digital infrastructure such as 5G and cloud."

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