Government to Establish Comprehensive Disaster Safety Plan by Year-End... Formation of Intergovernmental Task Force

Comprehensive Measures Established to Improve Initial Response System and Strengthen Capabilities Against New, Large-Scale, and Complex Disasters
COVID-19 Spread Increasing for 4th Week "Signs of Full-Scale Reemergence"

Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min is presiding over the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting on the Itaewon tragedy and COVID-19 at the Disaster Situation Room of the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 9th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 12th day since the Itaewon tragedy, the government has formed an inter-ministerial task force (TF) to reorganize the national disaster safety management system as a follow-up to the national safety system inspection meeting presided over by the President. The TF will establish a comprehensive plan, including improvements to the initial response system, by the end of this year.

On the 9th, Lee Sang-min, the 2nd Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) and Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, stated in his opening remarks at the CDSCH meeting, "We have formed an inter-ministerial task force to reorganize the national disaster safety management system and will change the paradigm of the national disaster safety system." He added, "The government will establish a comprehensive plan by the end of this year that includes improvements to the initial response system, prevention-centered and science-based disaster management, and strengthening capabilities to respond to new, large-scale, and complex disasters."

The government is currently providing livelihood stabilization support and psychological support to the bereaved families of the Itaewon tragedy and is also offering medical support to 18 patients currently hospitalized. For the four foreign victims awaiting repatriation to their home countries, the government is providing funeral support, including facilitating the entry of their families and offering interpretation services.

Deputy Head Lee emphasized, "The government is prioritizing accident recovery while making every effort to investigate the cause, identify responsibility, and prepare measures to prevent recurrence," adding, "We will ensure that a tragedy like the Itaewon accident never happens again."

Meanwhile, as the resurgence of COVID-19 intensifies, winter quarantine measures have become urgent. The scale of the COVID-19 outbreak has been increasing for four consecutive weeks, and the infection reproduction number has exceeded '1' for three consecutive weeks. The number of critically ill patients and deaths has also shifted to an upward trend, and hospital bed occupancy rates have been rising for four weeks.

Deputy Head Lee explained, "In preparation for the full-scale resurgence, we will increase vaccination rates and prescription rates of therapeutics for vulnerable groups such as seniors aged 60 and over and residents of nursing facilities," adding, "We will also strengthen management to enable simultaneous response to respiratory infectious diseases within the current medical system."

He further added, "We plan to establish a big data platform by the end of this year to publicly disclose COVID-19 related information, which has high public interest and research value, to the private sector."

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