Government to Conduct Emergency Safety Inspections of Multi-Use Facilities by the 9th of Next Month

Ministry of the Interior and Safety Holds Countermeasure Meeting with 17 Cities and Provinces

On the 4th, during the national mourning period following the Itaewon tragedy, citizens continue to visit the memorial space set up around Itaewon Station in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 4th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety held the 6th Safety Policy Coordination Committee and the 5th Central-Local Policy Council, chaired by Minister Lee Sang-min, with participation from related ministries and 17 metropolitan cities and provinces, to discuss urgent safety inspection measures for multi-use facilities and other areas.

In his opening remarks, Minister Lee stated, "'Public safety' is the most fundamental and core responsibility of the state, so it is urgent to raise the level of safety management to a degree that the public can feel," adding, "We must proactively manage areas where safety accidents can lead to serious incidents and block risk factors in advance."

He also added, "Each agency will share inspection plans for high-risk facilities such as multi-use facilities or those where recent accidents have occurred, and review future plans together." The meeting was attended by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Employment and Labor, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, National Fire Agency, Korea Forest Service, and Korea Coast Guard.

At this meeting, focused discussions were held on urgent safety inspection measures for multi-use facilities, and cooperation requests were made to related ministries and local governments.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety, as the first presenter, discussed with related ministries and local governments plans to conduct urgent safety inspections of relevant facilities to alleviate public concerns about accidents that may occur when many people gather in confined spaces.

Each agency will organize inspection teams to check the safety management system and any abnormalities in facilities over a 30-day period until the 9th of next month, while also verifying compliance with issues pointed out in recent inspections under individual laws, and inspecting expected movement routes and risk factors when large crowds gather.

Furthermore, minor issues will be corrected immediately on-site, emergency measures will be taken for items requiring repair or reinforcement followed by prompt improvements, and if necessary, detailed safety inspections will be conducted through specialized safety diagnosis institutions.

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