President Lee Orders Ministries to Conduct Comprehensive Inspections of Security and Public Safety Systems Following NIRS Fire Incident

"Concerns Over Crimes Such as Hacking or Phishing Exploiting the Administrative Network Outage"
"Inspect Whether All Systems Are Operating According to Manuals and Whether Manuals Are Properly Established" ... Ordered Comprehensive Inspection and Submission by Next Week
Thorough Safety Measures Ahead of Chuseok Holiday ... Calls for Efforts to Stabilize Holiday Shopping Basket Prices
Requests for Long-Term and Fundamental Solutions to Price Stability

President Lee Jaemyung has urged all-out efforts to minimize public inconvenience caused by the fire at the National Information Resources Service (NIRS). He also instructed each ministry to promptly and thoroughly inspect whether their affiliated agencies have established proper manuals in areas such as security and public safety, and whether these manuals are being implemented as intended. He requested that the results of these inspections be submitted before the next Cabinet meeting.

Yonhap News Agency

During his opening remarks at the Cabinet meeting held at the Yongsan presidential office on the 30th, President Lee stated, "Public inconvenience continues due to the aftermath of the NIRS fire. I ask each ministry to devote all efforts to restoring systems as quickly as possible and minimizing confusion." He specifically warned, "Crimes such as hacking or phishing that exploit the administrative network outage are a concern," and added, "Let this fire serve as a lesson, and proactively inspect and address any shortcomings related to public safety and security."

President Lee also cited an example from the early days of his presidency, when he personally inspected drainage sites, and instructed a comprehensive survey to determine if any plans by affiliated agencies under each ministry are not being properly implemented. He remarked, "We tend to believe that systems are operating normally, but in many cases, that is not true. These are situations that are difficult to imagine and hard to understand." He continued, "Each ministry must thoroughly and swiftly inspect whether all work, especially systems and facilities for security, public safety, and hazard prevention, are being operated according to the manuals, and whether the manuals themselves are properly established. Please submit a written report before the next Cabinet meeting."

Additionally, with the Chuseok holiday approaching, President Lee called for thorough safety measures and efforts to stabilize the prices of goods in holiday shopping baskets. He emphasized that when it comes to public safety, it is a hundred times better to be excessive than insufficient, stating, "With increased traffic and incidents nationwide during this period, please establish comprehensive safety measures and especially ensure that emergency medical and fire response systems are thoroughly checked." He added, "After Chuseok, many autumn festivals will be held across the country. Please also prepare thorough safety measures for large-scale gatherings and events during the fall."

Regarding Chuseok holiday shopping basket prices, President Lee called for fundamental solutions to price stability. He said, "While temporary responses are necessary, we must also consider fundamental solutions to price issues. Please meticulously inspect the entire process from production to consumption. Approach price stability as synonymous with public livelihood stability, and pay utmost attention to this matter."

President Lee further stated, "I ask that you strengthen the stable supply base for agricultural products and prepare practical measures to alleviate the livelihood difficulties of vulnerable groups. At the very least, in a country like Korea, people should not suffer due to food insecurity. Occasionally, we see cases where people are imprisoned for stealing eggs due to food shortages or make extreme choices because of hunger. At the very least, we must ensure such incidents do not occur." He then referenced the "Just Dream Center" initiative implemented during his tenure as Gyeonggi Province Governor, and instructed the Ministry of Health and Welfare to promote such cases to local governments nationwide.

Meanwhile, regarding his five-day visit to the United States for the United Nations General Assembly from the 22nd to the 26th, President Lee said, "Through this trip, we secured international support for the 'END Initiative' and presented a new future for the Korean Peninsula to the global community." He continued, "In particular, as we have pledged cooperation with global companies to drive our economic growth, I ask the relevant ministries to ensure thorough follow-up measures. Also, with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit just a month away, please prepare meticulously and with utmost caution."

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