President Lee Jae-myung on the 17th addressed the casualties from the recent heavy rains, industrial accidents, and welfare blind spots, stating that "the foremost duty of the state is to protect the lives and safety of the people," and urged relevant ministries and local governments to conduct thorough preventive inspections and proactive responses.
That day, President Lee chaired a chief secretary meeting and noted, "It seems that heavy rains are falling seriously nationwide. Fortunately, there hasn't been large-scale damage, but it seems that casualties have already occurred, and some flooding damage has also been reported," adding, "Please ensure safety inspections and urgent responses in areas at risk of casualties, such as semi-basements, underground crossings, underground parking lots, flood zone areas, landslide risk areas, and walls."
He emphasized, "No small mistakes can be tolerated when it comes to protecting the lives of the people."
After a briefing following a meeting with Lee Gyu-yeon, the head of the presidential office's public relations and communications, it was reported that "the president received reports on the fatalities and flooding damage that occurred in Osan, Asan, and Dangjin during the meeting and instructed to thoroughly investigate whether the fatalities were due to mismanagement by checking them by type."
The president said, "Excessive response is better than passive response," urging relevant ministries and local governments to recheck areas at risk of accidents.
During the meeting, industrial safety measures were also discussed as a key agenda item. The president stated, "There have been continuous reports of industrial accident fatalities" and mentioned the fall accident at POSCO's Gwangyang Steel Plant that occurred on the 14th, saying, "The cause of the accident must be investigated swiftly and thoroughly to confirm that there are no shortcomings in safety measures, and those responsible should be held strictly accountable for any wrongdoings."
The government reported plans to hire over 300 labor inspectors to strengthen industrial safety, enhance unannounced site inspections, and grant special judicial police qualifications to public officials for supervising business sites by local government heads.
In response, the president instructed, "After delegating authority and responsibility to local governments to the fullest extent, provide additional budgets to those with good performance."
Regarding the issue of welfare blind spots, the president stated, "Since the social safety net is literally a net, it has holes, and serious situations can arise in areas we don't expect," referring to the case of a mother and child who were found dead in Daejeon after living in dire straits for over 20 days.
The president remarked, "(They) experienced serious financial difficulties until the situation before their deaths and reportedly did not qualify for basic livelihood recipients," emphasizing that "we must proactively prevent situations from occurring where individuals fall through blind spots and safety nets by breaking away from passive administration."