Message Left by Yoon Before Vacation... "Please Think About What the Role of the State Is"

Emphasizing 'Public Safety' to Staff and Cabinet Members, Urging 'Role Reflection'
Climate Change Damage Also a National Responsibility... "The State Must Take Action" on Countermeasures
Accelerating Interdepartmental Measures on Poor Construction, Disaster Damage, and Heinous Crimes

President Yoon Suk-yeol told his presidential office staff and cabinet members to "think about what the role of the state is." President Yoon, who is taking his summer vacation from the 2nd to the 8th, is understood to have urged the government to take responsibility for social issues threatening 'public safety,' such as poor construction in apartment underground parking lots. In particular, President Yoon emphasized that responding to climate change is "something the state must do," repeatedly ordering the prevention of damage to the public caused by heavy rain and heatwaves.

According to the presidential office on the 2nd, President Yoon, during a closed cabinet meeting the previous day, reiterated various recent cases of threats to public safety and asked the relevant ministries to prepare countermeasures responsibly.

Especially, President Yoon left a message to all attendees of the cabinet meeting to "think together about what the role of the state is." Considering that on that day President Yoon brought up issues ranging from poor construction such as missing rebar at apartment construction sites, measures against heavy rain and heatwave damage, responses to random violent crimes, as well as expanding welfare for the vulnerable, the intention was for the government to take responsibility in all fields for public safety.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

After the nationwide poor construction of apartments was fully revealed, President Yoon called Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong and said, "Safety must be prioritized over the economy," and also emphasized at the cabinet meeting that "Safety is more important than money." A presidential office official explained, "This was to convey the philosophy and principle that protecting the safety of the people is the state's top priority, and also to point out that the current government response system has its limits."

President Yoon also defined the preparation of countermeasures against climate change as "something the state must do." This is based on the judgment that if the government proactively responds to damage caused by natural disasters such as heavy rain and heatwaves, it can minimize damage and promptly implement recovery measures. It is known that the cabinet meeting also separately discussed the reorganization of the national disaster management system, which is being reviewed mainly by the government and ruling party.

Following President Yoon's instructions, the movements of the relevant ministries have also accelerated. Centered on the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and LH (Korea Land and Housing Corporation), a full survey of all underground parking lots in apartments nationwide is expected, as well as an investigation into the 'construction interest cartel' targeting 'preferential treatment for former officials.' It is said that construction companies that recruited former LH employees received benefits during the project bidding process, and LH neglected their poor work management, which led to collapse accidents. Accordingly, measures to eradicate raised suspicions such as ▲ leniency toward poor design by companies hiring former officials ▲ leniency toward poor supervision by companies hiring former officials ▲ favoritism toward companies hiring former officials in public projects will be discussed during President Yoon's vacation period.

The full-scale reorganization of the disaster management system is also expected to gain momentum. With Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, the head of the relevant ministry, having returned to work, a complete overhaul of the manual to respond to climate change such as 'extreme heavy rain' and the establishment of a system focused on prevention rather than post-disaster recovery are anticipated. A senior government official explained, "For prevention systems that were established over periods as long as 20 years, the period will be shortened to the shortest possible, and various accidents such as the Osong underpass disaster and the landslide in Yecheon, Gyeongbuk will be categorized, with manuals tailored to each case being established."

Measures by relevant ministries to prevent 'random violent crimes' are also expected. As calls grow for national-level management of violent criminals with a high risk of reoffending, the 'introduction of protective custody system' has been suggested as an alternative, but concerns over double punishment and human rights violations have prevented it from passing the National Assembly. Earlier, during his presidential campaign, President Yoon pledged to introduce a protective custody system where released offenders would complete correctional programs in protective custody facilities during certain hours such as nighttime or holidays to help them adapt to society. The 'strong punishment measures' ordered by President Yoon are also expected to take time. Both ruling and opposition parties have proposed amendments to the 'Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes' to impose heavier penalties on random crimes targeting unspecified individuals, but the bill remains pending in the National Assembly.

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