Minister Jeon Hae-cheol of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety Visits COVID-19 Screening Clinic for First On-Site Inspection

Emergency Meeting Held to Urgently Review Local Governments' AI Response Status

Minister Jeon Hae-cheol of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety is presiding over an emergency video conference to urgently inspect local governments' AI response status at the Seoul Situation Center of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters in the Government Seoul Office Building on the afternoon of the 28th.

[Asia Economy Jo In-kyung Reporter] Jeon Hae-cheol, the newly appointed Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, inspected the COVID-19 quarantine sites in line with the year-end and New Year special quarantine measures and held an emergency inspection meeting on the avian influenza (AI) response situation.

According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, on the morning of the 28th, Minister Jeon visited the 'Metropolitan Area Special Situation Room' set up at Seoul City Hall to review the cooperation system between the government and local governments and focused on inspecting difficulties related to the allocation of hospital beds and residential treatment centers for confirmed cases. This was his first field inspection since taking office on the 24th.

At the meeting, he said, "Managing and treating confirmed cases in the metropolitan area will be a turning point for the early end of COVID-19," and urged, "Please gather a little more strength, thinking only of the people."

Minister Jeon then visited the temporary screening clinic at Seoul Plaza to inspect the testing site and encouraged medical staff, public officials, and other related personnel.

He stated, "In the emergency situation where COVID-19 confirmed cases are rapidly increasing in the metropolitan area, it is more important than anything else to quickly identify asymptomatic infected individuals through proactive testing," and added, "As the second deputy head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, I will actively discover areas where government support is needed and work together for the early end of the COVID-19 crisis."

In the afternoon of the same day, Minister Jeon held an emergency inspection meeting regarding the spread of AI, listened to the AI response situation and difficulties faced by local governments, and sought support measures.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety is supporting 7.2 billion KRW in special grants, including operating expenses for 17 regional disinfection facilities in cities and provinces, to prevent the spread of AI, and is assisting local governments' quarantine activities through central joint inspections.

Minister Jeon emphasized, "This year, unlike in the past, AI is occurring across species and beyond city and provincial boundaries, making it difficult to predict future trends or scale," and urged, "Please prepare in advance considering the possibility that the currently sporadic AI outbreaks may suddenly escalate into horizontal transmission between farms and exceed local governments' quarantine capabilities."

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