President Lee Receives Briefings from Meteorological, Fire, and Forest Agencies: "Spending Taxes Wisely Is Important"

To the National Fire Agency:
"Establish Comprehensive Management Measures, Including Activation of the Whistleblower Reward System"
To the Korea Forest Service:
"Request for the Office for Government Policy Coordination to Take a Leading Role in Ensuring a Robust Wildfire Response System"

On July 15, President Lee Jaemyung received briefings on current issues from three agencies related to public safety?the Korea Meteorological Administration, the National Fire Agency, and the Korea Forest Service?during a Cabinet meeting. He instructed officials to establish comprehensive management measures, such as activating the whistleblower reward system for crackdowns related to public safety and the protection of citizens' lives. He also requested that the Office for Government Policy Coordination take a leading role in ensuring that the wildfire response system is well established.

Yonhap News

Spokesperson Kang Yujeong stated at a briefing held at the presidential office in Yongsan on July 15, "The Korea Meteorological Administration reported on recent weather patterns, summer disaster prevention measures, strategies to minimize earthquake damage, and ways to support climate change prediction information." Kang added, "President Lee asked whether it is appropriate for the Korea Meteorological Administration to be under the Ministry of Environment rather than the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. He also inquired about why precipitation is forecast as a probability, the scale of the weather forecaster workforce, and whether this year's rainy season differs from previous years, along with the reasons for any differences."

The National Fire Agency reported on the current preparedness for heatwaves and summer disasters, as well as measures to strengthen fire safety management in aging apartment buildings. Kang explained, "President Lee emphasized the need to thoroughly investigate each case of casualties during the summer to determine whether they are due to safety issues or management negligence. He stressed that repeated casualties caused by management negligence must not occur."

Kang continued, "President Lee called for practical safety improvements by considering ways to activate the whistleblower reward system in crackdowns related to public safety, including fire safety. He instructed the Office for Government Policy Coordination to conduct a comprehensive review of the whistleblower reward system and to establish integrated management measures." Kang also stated, "President Lee directed officials to break down inter-ministerial barriers in the development of advanced firefighting equipment and to consider ways to expand research and development and enhance the safety of firefighting equipment."

During the Korea Forest Service's report, strategies for the comprehensive utilization and establishment of wildfire suppression resources across ministries were presented. Kang said, "President Lee emphasized that early detection and rapid response are crucial in wildfire suppression and requested that the Office for Government Policy Coordination take a leading role in ensuring that key ministries are well equipped with wildfire response systems."

Kang added, "President Lee stressed that taxes collected from the public must be used effectively for the benefit of the people, emphasizing that it is not about not spending money, but about spending it wisely." Kang further conveyed, "He asked officials to consider ways to create quality jobs through government fiscal spending, such as by ensuring that appropriate wages, rather than minimum wages, are paid for public projects like forest management."

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