Mandatory Collection of 'Expert Opinions' When Establishing the 'National Safety Management Plan'... Amendment to the Framework Act on Disaster and Safety Management

Ministry of the Interior and Safety Announces Legislative Notice Until March 3... Strengthening Social Safety Net
Support for Volunteers Injured or Disabled During Disaster Recovery Also Expanded

Minister of the Interior and Safety Jeon Hae-cheol is reviewing materials at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting for COVID-19 response held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 31st. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] From now on, when establishing the ‘National Safety Management Plan,’ opinions from related organizations and experts must be mandatorily collected. In addition, detailed measures for systematically managing disaster safety mandatory insurance will be stipulated, and standards will be established to support treatment and compensation when volunteers are injured or disabled during disaster recovery.

On the 21st, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that it will conduct a legislative notice for the amendment of the Enforcement Decree and Enforcement Rules of the 'Disaster and Safety Management Basic Act' (hereinafter referred to as the Disaster Safety Act) from the 22nd to March 3rd. This amendment was promoted to stipulate the delegated contents from the Disaster Safety Act revised on June 9 and October 20 last year and to define necessary matters for effectively promoting disaster management.

The amendment establishes procedures for collecting opinions and disclosure when formulating the National Safety Management Basic Plan. To listen to and reflect the public’s opinions during the formulation process of the National Safety Management Basic Plan, which is the highest-level plan setting the basic direction of the nation’s disaster and safety management, an opinion collection stage involving related organizations and experts was added. Furthermore, the completed basic plan will be disclosed to the public via the internet, etc., to strengthen the accountability of the departments in charge.

Professional education for workers in the disaster safety field will also be strengthened. To further enhance the work capabilities of disaster management officers in responsible institutions, the deadline for completing new education has been shortened from one year to six months, and minimum education hours are stipulated (7 hours or more for managers, 14 hours or more for practitioners).

Through detailed measures for the comprehensive management of disaster safety mandatory insurance, specific plans were prepared for the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to comprehensively manage disaster safety mandatory insurance operated by each institution (17 institutions, 45 laws).

First, when the head of a central administrative agency enacts or revises laws related to disaster safety mandatory insurance, they must consult in advance with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety before the legislative notice to ensure that the relevant laws meet standards such as appropriate compensation limits. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety will analyze and evaluate the management and operation status of disaster safety mandatory insurance, recommend improvements for insufficient parts, and report comprehensively to the ‘Central Safety Management Committee’ to enhance the implementation of institutional improvement plans by each agency. Additionally, to improve sufficient damage compensation and fairness issues among insurances, appropriate compensation limit recommendation standards (e.g., 150 million KRW per death) are stipulated, and detailed management measures such as joint use procedures for the integrated information system have also been prepared.

Standards for treatment and compensation for volunteers, etc., have also been established. As support for volunteers injured or disabled during disaster recovery expands, payment standards and procedures have been stipulated. Compensation for the injured will follow the 'Act on Persons of Distinguished Service to the State,' and treatment costs for disabilities will be paid based on actual expenses. Also, each payment procedure will follow the Enforcement Decree of the 'Civil Defense Basic Act.'

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to collect various opinions from the public, related organizations, and stakeholders during the legislative notice period and reflect them in the amendment.

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