"Korean Disaster Accident Injury and Mortality Rates Exceed OECD Average... Half of the Population 'Anxious About New Diseases'"

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Son Seon-hee] Statistical analysis has revealed that the injury mortality rate of Korean citizens due to disaster accidents is higher than the average of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Additionally, more than half of the population reported feeling anxious about new infectious diseases due to the impact of COVID-19.

According to the "2021 Korean Safety Report" presented by Professor Park Hye-sook of Ewha Womans University at the "2nd Statistics Research Institute (SRI) Public Research Results Forum" on the 23rd, the injury mortality rate from disaster accidents per 100,000 people was 51.5 in 2020, which is 5 higher than the average of 46.5 among the 38 OECD countries.

In particular, the damage caused by natural disasters in 2020 amounted to 1.3182 trillion won, more than six times the previous year's 215.2 billion won. On the other hand, social disasters saw a decrease in both the number of occurrences and damage amount (25 cases, 334.3 billion won) compared to the previous year (28 cases, 530.3 billion won). Overall, 31.8% of respondents answered that society is "safe," which was higher than the 23.9% who responded "anxious."

However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more than half of respondents (52.9%) reported feeling "anxious" about new infectious diseases. Only 22.6% responded that they felt "safe."

At the forum hosted by the Statistics Research Institute that day, a total of eight research results were presented across three divisions based on data: ▲ Innovation in national statistical methods ▲ Data-driven policy support ▲ Expansion of data value.

In his congratulatory speech, Koo Yoon-chul, Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, said, "The Office for Government Policy Coordination is working closely with the Statistics Research Institute to address current social issues and future development, including data-driven policy formulation for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and response to the COVID-19 pandemic," and urged, "I ask the researchers at the Statistics Research Institute to take pride in their efforts as they lead to policies that improve the lives of the people and to fulfill their responsibilities."

Jeon Young-il, President of the Statistics Research Institute, stated, "The innovative and leading research and development of the Statistics Research Institute, the only 'national statistics and data think tank' in Korea, is the cornerstone for establishing data-driven national policies," and added, "We hope the Statistics Research Institute will grow into a global think tank that ultimately enhances the quality of life for the people through a great leap in pragmatic research."

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