Ministry of the Interior and Safety Reviews Livelihood Economy with 17 Cities and Provinces... Urges Organizational Efficiency and Safety Transformation

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 21st, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety held the 3rd Central-Local Policy Council and Safety Policy Coordination Committee meeting, chaired by Vice Minister Han Chang-seop, with participation from related ministries and 17 metropolitan cities and provinces.

At this meeting, presentations were made on the inspection and response measures for the livelihood economy, the direction of organization and personnel management of local governments, and the promotion plan for Korea's Safety Great Transformation, along with requests for cooperation from local governments.

The first presenter, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, explained the recent difficulties in the livelihood economy and presented the livelihood stabilization measures being prepared and implemented. They also requested cooperation for stabilizing public utility charges in the second half of the year, sharing vivid policy suggestions from local and livelihood sites, and disseminating excellent cases of price management by local governments.

A presentation on the direction of organization and personnel management of local governments was also conducted. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety explained the direction for promoting efficiency in local government organization and personnel management, including maintaining the standard personnel level at the 2022 level for the next five years, reallocating personnel to respond to new administrative demands, and enhancing operational soundness through committee reorganization.

As the final key agenda, presentations were made by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ministry of Employment and Labor, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, and Korea Forest Service regarding the promotion of Korea's Safety Great Transformation. Due to increased demand for outdoor activities in summer and rapid climate change, the risk of various disasters is rising, making national-level safety management necessary. They explained the main directions of the Safety Great Transformation, including reducing safety hazards through intensive safety inspections, nationwide implementation of Safety Korea drills to enhance disaster response capabilities, and comprehensive events and promotions, urging active safety management by each relevant ministry and local governments.

Cooperation from local governments was also sought. Requests were made for interest and active participation from metropolitan cities and provinces in the regional specialized visa pilot project, utilization and stable settlement of the Local Extinction Response Fund introduced this year, and thorough preparation for the Hometown Love Donation System to be implemented next year.

Vice Minister Han Chang-seop emphasized, “To stabilize livelihoods, it is most important to listen to voices from the field and reflect them in policies,” and urged, “Please take care of livelihoods directly on the ground.”

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