Blue House National Security Office Chief: "Proactive Response to Summer Disasters, Even to an Excessive Degree"

27 Deputy Ministers from Ministries Attend 'National Crisis Assessment Meeting'... Urgent Measures Ordered for Facilities at Risk of Large-Scale Damage

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] Seo Hoon, Director of the National Security Office, chaired the 'National Crisis Assessment Meeting' on the afternoon of the 6th at the Blue House National Crisis Management Center, attended by vice minister-level officials from 27 ministries, and said, "The government must identify disaster risk factors for the summer season in advance and cooperate with local governments along with proactive and possibly excessive preemptive responses for accident prevention and management."

Director Seo stated, "While public anxiety over COVID-19 continues, damage from summer typhoons and heatwaves is expected," urging active response measures.

The Blue House reported that during the meeting, each participating agency presented response plans for summer disaster risk factors.

The view of the Blue House from Namsan, Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The Blue House explained, "The Korea Meteorological Administration announced plans to provide hourly expected rainfall through detailed short-term forecasts, the Ministry of Environment proposed advanced utilization of satellite imaging systems to prevent flood damage on our side caused by unauthorized discharge from the North in border areas, and the Korea Forest Service presented the ‘K-Landslide Prevention Measures’ to minimize landslide damage."

Additionally, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will operate a ‘Comprehensive Supply and Demand Situation Room’ continuously during the power supply and demand management period to prepare for increased electricity demand, and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to establish an early warning system using IoT and other Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will carry out renovation projects for safety-vulnerable facilities to ensure the safety of the growing camping population.

The Blue House added, "Discussions also continued on COVID-19 quarantine, construction site safety, marine vessel accident prevention, and nuclear safety, with active debates on inter-ministerial cooperation measures."

Director Seo urged, "Urgently devise measures for affected areas, and hasten damage recurrence prevention in places where recovery is not yet complete," adding, "Each agency should continuously monitor the response plans for the risk factors presented today and thoroughly prepare for summer disaster safety."

Meanwhile, the National Crisis Assessment Meeting is held semiannually under the National Security Office’s supervision to review the government’s response posture to protect citizens from disasters. This meeting was conducted via video conference between the Blue House National Crisis Management Center and each agency in accordance with COVID-19 quarantine guidelines.

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