"National-Level Prevention of Accidents and Disasters"... Damage Prevention Act to Take Effect on the 24th

Injuries Are Preventable Health Issues, Not Mere Accidents
Formation of the National Injury Management Committee... Establishment of the Comprehensive Injury Management Plan

The "Act on Prevention and Management of Injuries (Injury Prevention Act)" will be fully enforced starting from the 24th. The enforcement decree and enforcement rules containing detailed provisions necessary for the implementation of the law have also been completed and will take effect on the same day.

"Injury" refers to physical, mental, or health problems caused by external risk factors such as various accidents, disasters, or poisoning, excluding diseases. Annually, 2.88 million people experience injuries, and deaths caused by injuries rank as the fourth leading cause of death overall.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) enacted the Injury Prevention Act on January 23 last year to approach injuries not as accidental incidents but as preventable health issues, and to establish a national injury prevention and management system through cooperation among central administrative agencies, local governments, and experts in various fields.

With the enforcement of the Injury Prevention Act, the KDCA, as the main agency responsible for injury prevention and management, will establish a national injury prevention and management system and systematically collect and analyze information related to injury occurrence, treatment, and rehabilitation.

Additionally, the KDCA will set national basic goals and directions for injury prevention and management, and manage and support central administrative agencies and local governments so that they can effectively establish and implement policies related to injury prevention and management.

The specific initiatives to be promoted starting this year under the Injury Prevention Act are as follows. First, a National Injury Management Committee (Chair: Director of KDCA) will be formed, consisting of government ministries closely related to major injury fields and injury-related experts, to deliberate on key matters regarding the promotion of national injury prevention and management policies, including the establishment of the national injury management system, institutions, and the "Comprehensive Injury Management Plan."

In the third quarter of this year, the "1st Comprehensive Injury Management Plan" will be established and announced, enabling various institutions, including local governments, to systematically promote injury prevention and management policies aligned with national goals starting in 2026.

For systematic and professional policy support, a Central Injury Management Center will also be newly established and operated. The Central Injury Management Center will carry out statutory projects such as research on risk factors for injury occurrence and injury prevention and management technologies, collection and analysis of injury-related information and statistics, education and promotion related to injury prevention, and training of injury prevention professionals.

Consultations with local governments are underway with the goal of establishing regional injury management centers in all 17 metropolitan cities and provinces by 2026. Considering the expertise required for the work, the KDCA plans to establish and entrust the operation of the Central Injury Management Center to an external institution with extensive experience in injury survey, surveillance, and prevention projects, as well as a high understanding of policies, and will begin the public recruitment from the 24th.

Ji Young-mi, Director of the KDCA, stated, "The enforcement of the Injury Prevention Act is significant in that it establishes a legal and institutional foundation for the KDCA to prevent and manage injuries such as accidents, disasters, and poisoning at the national level, in addition to infectious diseases, chronic diseases, and rare incurable diseases." She added, "The KDCA aims to contribute to the promotion of public health by reducing individual suffering and social burdens caused by injuries through the enactment of the Injury Prevention Act."

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