250 Members Selected for the 8th Road Safety National Participation Group... Activities Begin in July

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to Hold Inauguration Ceremony on the 25th... Awards for Outstanding Participants and Appointment of New National Participation Group Members

[Asia Economy Reporter Kangwook Cho] The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that on the 25th, it held the inauguration ceremony for the 8th Road Safety National Participation Group at the aT Center in Yangjae-dong, jointly with the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, and the General Insurance Association of Korea.

Since its inception in 2014, the Road Safety National Participation Group has maintained a collaborative system with road management agencies such as the National Land Management Office and local governments to report and address inconveniences on all roads nationwide, including national highways and local roads.

Among approximately 750 applicants who applied for participation from May 17 to 31 this year, 250 members were selected for the 8th National Participation Group and will begin activities next month. The selected 8th group members consist of a diverse range of occupations including university students, housewives, office workers, public officials, farmers, self-employed individuals, freelancers, retirees, and journalists, with ages ranging from 22 to 75. They will report road inconveniences occurring nationwide in real time.

At the inauguration ceremony, the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology provided detailed explanations to the new participants about the roles of the National Participation Group, reporting methods, and precautions to ensure the safety of reporters during the reporting process, urging the creation of a safe reporting environment. Outstanding participants will receive a fixed monthly activity allowance based on their performance, and at the end of their activities, they will be awarded commendations from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and heads of related organizations, along with prizes.

Additionally, at the event, 30 outstanding participants from the 7th group, selected through expert evaluation of their activities over the past year, were awarded commendations from the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and prizes totaling approximately 7 million KRW.

The average number of road inconvenience reports per outstanding participant was 462, accounting for 58.9% (13,871 cases) of the total road inconvenience reports last year. The participant with the highest number of reports submitted 1,693 cases, actively reporting an average of 4.6 road inconveniences per day. The 7th National Participation Group reported approximately 22,000 road inconveniences through a dedicated smartphone app, nearly tripling the number from the previous year.

Juhyun Jong, Director of the Road Bureau at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated, "The active efforts of the Road Safety National Participation Group have played a decisive role in improving road safety in the Republic of Korea," and added, "We look forward to the role of the 8th group over the next year, and above all, we ask that participants carefully observe their surroundings and prioritize safety to prevent accidents during reporting."

Meanwhile, the event was limited to 50 people and was conducted with only the minimum necessary personnel, including awardees from the 7th group and representatives of the 8th National Participation Group. For participants unable to attend in person, non-face-to-face education and promotions were conducted via live streaming on YouTube.

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