Comprehensive Management of Injury, the 4th Leading Cause of Death... Local Government Implementation Plans Reviewed

KDCA Holds the 1st National Damage Management Committee Meeting

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced on March 19 that it held the “1st National Damage Management Committee of 2026” and deliberated and approved the damage management implementation plans for this year, submitted by relevant ministries and metropolitan and provincial governments.

During this committee meeting, the main focus was on discussing the first annual implementation plans developed by 14 ministries and 17 metropolitan and provincial governments, as concrete steps to realize the 1st Comprehensive Damage Management Plan announced in September 2025. The committee closely examined whether each local government had identified key risk factors based on local conditions and damage occurrence statistics, and whether detailed programs were effectively linked to reduce major damage mechanisms.

Support system for establishing damage management implementation plans for local governments. Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency

The National Damage Management Committee was launched in March 2025 in accordance with Article 7 of the Act on the Prevention and Management of Damage, to deliberate and approve major policies necessary for damage management. Since its establishment, the committee has held three meetings in total, laying the groundwork for the national-level damage management system by: selecting the implementing agency for the Central Damage Management Center, establishing the 1st Comprehensive Damage Management Plan, and setting up the Expert Committee for Serious and Mass Casualty Investigation and Surveillance.

At the meeting, Sungwoo Lee, Director of the Central Damage Management Center, also presented the center’s operational achievements. Designated in April 2025 as the key support institution for the national damage management system, the Central Damage Management Center shared its achievements over the past year, including: supporting the advancement of the national damage surveillance system, raising public awareness of damage prevention, and fostering academic exchange through forums and symposiums on damage.

Based on the 2026 implementation plan, the KDCA intends to further strengthen the linkage between central and local governments this year. To ensure that existing initiatives translate into tangible reductions in damage, the KDCA will provide consulting support for identifying blind spots and planning and developing initiatives, in cooperation with the Central Damage Management Center and regional disease response centers. In addition, the KDCA will support capacity-building training for local government officials, as well as the identification and sharing of best practices in damage prevention programs.

Seungkwan Lim, Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, stated, “Moving forward, we will do our utmost to generate damage reduction outcomes that are tangible to the public by consolidating inter-ministerial capabilities and fostering close collaboration with the Central Damage Management Center and local governments.”

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