Ministry of the Interior and Local Governments Conduct Nationwide Survey on 'National Point Number Plates' Management Status... Implementation by 2026

24% Inspection Promotion for the Entire Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] In the future, the status survey of national point number plates, which can accurately guide the location of reporters in various safety accidents in non-residential areas such as mountains and coasts, will be more systematized, and the burden of the survey is expected to decrease.

On the 20th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that it will conduct a "National Point Number Plate Management Status Comprehensive Survey" nationwide for five years from this year to 2026 in cooperation with local governments across the country, and will also distribute the "National Point Number Plate On-site Survey Work Processing Manual."

National point numbers are a means to accurately inform locations in areas such as mountains and coasts, directly related to public safety, making the management and maintenance of national point number plates very important. Until now, only the investigating agencies were regulated, and local governments managed the plates by conducting surveys themselves or outsourcing the work. There have been calls for clear guidelines including work processing procedures and a nationwide comprehensive survey.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety explained that to improve these issues, it prepared the National Point Number Plate On-site Survey Work Processing Manual in November 2021 after holding a nationwide meeting of national point number officers and gathering opinions from local governments and related organizations, and this year, for the first time, the ministry and local governments will jointly conduct a nationwide comprehensive survey.

First, this year, among the 74,163 national point number plates installed nationwide, the management status of 17,929 points (24.2%) will be prioritized for inspection. In addition, following the full revision of the Road Name Address Act, the manual for on-site surveys of national point number plates, which local governments at the city/province and city/county/district levels must conduct annually, will be distributed.

The National Point Number Plate On-site Survey Work Processing Manual consists of ▲survey methods ▲commission fee standards when outsourcing ▲measures based on survey results, enhancing its usability in the field. The on-site survey methods include registering the status as normal, damaged, or lost, and contain instructions on how to use the 'Address Information Facility Survey Terminal' and how to convert coordinates obtained via satellite surveying.

Furthermore, the information pattern (QR code) attached to the national point number plates is designed to contain content that allows safety measures to be taken on-site, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of automated external defibrillators (AED), in line with the system's purpose. After the survey, a confirmation sticker is attached on-site to prevent duplication and omission of surveys.

Additionally, a commission fee standard has been established for outsourcing on-site survey work, which calculates fees differently based on the survey method (address information facility survey terminal) and difficulty (mountainous vs. flat terrain). Regarding measures based on survey results, if the damage level still allows location confirmation, a plan will be established and maintenance conducted; if the damage is severe enough to cause location errors during use, a prohibition notice will be attached and maintenance must be completed within 90 days.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety expects that the systematic inspection of national point number plates and the efficiency of budget operation by local governments will improve through the distributed work processing manual. Kim Kwang-yong, Director of Regional Development Policy, said, “Through the distribution of the national point number plate on-site survey guidelines, we will strive to ensure stable management of the plates and maintain a rapid response system in case of safety accidents in the respective areas.”

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