Minister of the Office for Government Policy Coordination Yoon Chang-ryul recently said regarding the tragic children's fire accident that occurred in Busan, "We need to fill the blind spots in child care during nighttime, improve the structural vulnerabilities of aging multi-family housing, and establish functional fire evacuation education."
On the afternoon of the 17th, Minister Yoon presided over the "Emergency Measures Second Meeting related to Child Deaths in Busan Apartment Fire" at the government office in Seoul, where he gave such instructions.
The Office for Government Policy Coordination held the meeting on this day to discuss the review results of the major measures discussed during the first meeting on the 4th. Attendees included officials from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Korea Fire Agency, Korea Electrical Safety Corporation (KESCO), and Korea Gas Safety Corporation (KGS).
During that meeting, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy reported on electrical and gas safety measures to prevent fires in aging multi-family housing, while the Ministry of Education reported on the implementation results and future plans for fire safety education targeted at elementary school students. The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family each reported on measures to minimize the blind spots in nighttime child care.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Korea Fire Agency announced that they have completed a comprehensive inspection of fire vulnerabilities in approximately 24,000 aging multi-family housing complexes together with local governments. They plan to complete the inspections by the end of August to enhance the safety of aging multi-family housing.
In addition, they decided to prioritize the distribution of "stand-alone alarm-type smoke detectors" to households vulnerable to child care in the Busan area and to expand distribution nationwide in the future. They also plan to replace and distribute electrical safety multi-taps in consultation with the related ministries.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport stated that it will strengthen promotions by complex to ensure that residents of aging multi-family housing can conveniently install fire safety facilities.
The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family plans to start a pilot program in August to provide additional incentives to caregivers for low-income households utilizing emergency child care services during nighttime.
The government is scheduled to announce a comprehensive government-wide plan that encompasses these measures next month.
Minister Yoon emphasized, "When the government shows that it can create effective measures and take full responsibility for their implementation, the public will be able to trust the government again," adding, "We must respond to the public with results, not plans, and with actions, not explanations."