Nam Hwayeong, New Fire Agency Chief: "Leadership Will Innovate First"

Internally Rated as 'Gentle and Rational'
"Field Comes First, Will Visit Frequently"

The National Fire Agency announced on the 4th that Nam Hwa-young, Fire Commissioner General, has been inaugurated as the 5th Commissioner of the National Fire Agency.

In his inaugural speech, Commissioner Nam stated, "Fire services, which have developed with the support and love of the people, must move forward on a path of new change to live up to the trust and expectations without shame." He added, "The leadership will take the lead in innovation and act with a proactive attitude."

Nam Hwa-young, Commissioner of the National Fire Agency, is saluting at the inauguration ceremony of the 5th new Commissioner held at the National Fire Agency in Sejong City on the 4th. Photo by National Fire Agency

Commissioner Nam was born in 1964 in Bonghwa, Gyeongbuk, and was appointed as a fire officer through the fire scholarship program in 1986. Since October last year, he served as the Deputy Commissioner and Acting Commissioner of the National Fire Agency before being promoted. He has held positions such as Head of the Gyeonggi-do Fire and Disaster Headquarters, Head of the Gyeongbuk Fire Headquarters, Head of the Daegu Fire Safety Headquarters, and Head of the Jeju Fire Safety Headquarters. Internally, he is regarded as a mild and rational leader. In particular, he is recognized for his planning and execution capabilities.

In his inaugural speech, Commissioner Nam presented five commitments he will uphold as the Commissioner of the National Fire Agency. First, he said, "Fire services prioritize the field above all," adding, "I will frequently visit disaster sites, fire industry companies, vulnerable targets, and fire stations to listen to the difficulties of companies and colleagues.

He emphasized, "With the mindset of 'Geoan Sa-wi (居安思危)'?thinking of danger in times of safety?swift, maximum, and highest-level responses must be made from the early stages of disasters." He continued, "The safety of field personnel leads to the safety of the people," stressing, "Accurate situation assessment by commanders, the principle of two-person teams, and confirmation of personal protective equipment usage are essential."

Commissioner Nam urged, "Let us boldly improve unreasonable internal practices to become a clean and trusted fire service," and added, "As experts in disaster response, let us faithfully fulfill our given duties and become proud and distinguished uniformed public officials worthy of the dignity and status of national fire service personnel.

Finally, he pledged, "To foster an organizational culture of communication, consideration, and harmony, I will operate an ‘Open Commissioner’s Office’," and stated, "I will work with my colleagues, focusing on the weight of responsibility rather than the size of authority, and on roles rather than positions."

Meanwhile, Commissioner Nam has emphasized communication with the field. Since early this year, he has regularized communication meetings between the National Fire Agency and city/provincial fire headquarters. Furthermore, to build consensus on major policy initiatives between central and local governments and to reflect the voices of frontline commanders in policies, he held policy communication meetings on the 1st and 3rd of this month with about 1,400 nationwide 119 Safety Center chiefs and rescue and emergency team leaders.

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