Jung Woo-taek Proposes Amendment to Establish 'Safety Management Plan' Even for Events Without Organizers

Local Government Heads of Host Areas Must Secure Safety Management Experts

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] On the 2nd, Jeong Woo-taek, a member of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee from the People Power Party, officially proposed a partial amendment to the Framework Act on Disaster and Safety Management (Disaster Safety Act) to require the establishment of safety management plans even for events without organizers.

The amendment stipulates that for festivals expected to have a number of participants above a scale prescribed by Presidential Decree, where there is no organizer or the organizer is uncertain, the head of the local government with jurisdiction over the event location must establish a safety management plan and secure safety management professionals.

Additionally, the Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety or the provincial governor may supervise and inspect the implementation status of the safety plan, and may request correction from the heads of related agencies for any matters requiring supplementation based on the inspection results.

Furthermore, when establishing a festival safety management plan, the local government with jurisdiction over the event location must consult with related safety management agencies such as fire stations and police stations. Other detailed matters such as the specifics and procedures of the safety management plan are delegated to Presidential Decree.

Current law requires central administrative agencies, local governments, or private entities to establish safety management plans and take necessary safety measures when holding large-scale regional festivals. However, it does not impose an obligation to establish safety management plans when there is no organizer, causing difficulties for related agencies in systematic safety management. The Itaewon Halloween tragedy also involved ambiguity regarding the organizer, resulting in no safety management plan being established and many casualties.

Assemblyman Jeong Woo-taek stated, "Even for events without organizers, thorough pre-event safety management plans must be established, and through organic cooperation with related agencies, deficiencies in citizen safety management must no longer occur." He added, "We will strive to eliminate blind spots in safety management through prompt discussions at the National Assembly level and to establish a tightly woven social safety net."

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