Kim Dong-yeon "Gyeonggi-do to Establish Independent Safety Measures... Urges Formation of National Safety Advisory Council"

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon is holding a press conference on the "Improvement Plan for Gyeonggi Province Safety Management System" at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government briefing room on the morning of the 10th.

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Kim Dong-yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, expressed his deep sorrow over the Itaewon tragedy (October 29 disaster) occurring in one of the world's top 10 economies and announced that Gyeonggi Province will take the lead in establishing and implementing safety measures.

He proposed the following initiatives: ▲ Establishment of a safety prevention hotline ▲ Activation of a Citizens' Safety Innovation Team ▲ ICT-based smart safety management ▲ Systematic 'social disaster joint drills' to respond to new types of disasters. He also urged the establishment of a 'National Safety Advisory Council' directly under the President to respond to social disasters.

At an emergency press conference on the 10th, Governor Kim said, "There were as many as twenty-six foreign victims in this tragedy. This disaster is not only a tragedy for South Korea but also an international incident," lamenting that "foreign media are pointing out the 'lack of national leadership and failure of the crisis management system' (LA Times)."

He continued, "Ultimately, this tragedy is a matter concerning South Korea's national dignity," expressing his grief that "it is devastating that such a tragedy occurred in South Korea, one of the world's top 10 economic powers."

Furthermore, he stated, "It is our duty to the victims, the injured, the bereaved families, and the citizens to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again," promising, "Above all, the most important thing is to prevent such disasters from occurring, to establish a system that can immediately respond when a crisis arises, and to make sure it actually works. Gyeonggi Province will take the lead in starting this."

Governor Kim emphasized, "Gyeonggi Province will first create a 'Safety Prevention Hotline,'" adding, "The hotline will not be limited to facility safety but will promptly inspect and respond to citizens' requests regarding various safety risks in workplaces, urban life, social disasters, and more."

He particularly noted, "After the Suwon three mothers incident, we created the 'Emergency Welfare Hotline' at 010-4419-7722, which achieved success in identifying welfare blind spots," adding, "The last four digits 7722 will symbolize the 'Gyeonggi Province Hotline,' and in the future, emergency situations will be accessible via 119, while safety prevention inspections will be easily reachable at 010-3990-7722."

Governor Kim explained, "We will also form a 'Citizens' Safety Innovation Team' that will play a leading role in innovating the citizen safety system by utilizing expert knowledge and local information to evaluate and analyze public safety management, derive practical policy measures, and establish mid- to long-term visions and fundamental alternatives," adding, "The Innovation Team leader will be someone who knows the region well and is passionate about it, and we will include private experts from fields such as architecture, civil engineering, environment, industry, health, social disasters, as well as victims of social disasters."

He promised, "We will strengthen disaster-vulnerable facility inspections through ICT safety inspection and analysis technologies already under research, such as artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, big data, drones, and smart glasses."

Moreover, he stated, "Systematic 'social disaster joint drills' to respond to new types of disasters are necessary," and announced, "We will conduct regular joint drills involving the province, fire headquarters, police, schools, and the private sector targeting 'multi-dense areas' where various types of social disaster risks always exist."

In conclusion, Governor Kim urged the establishment of a presidential advisory body on national safety, saying, "Currently, the Constitution provides presidential advisory bodies in three areas: national economy, science and technology, and peaceful unification. National safety should be elevated to a similar level," calling for the creation of a presidential 'National Safety Advisory Council.'

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