The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency noted that it will implement the 'Damage Prevention and Management Act' starting from the 24th to prevent and manage damage.
'Damage' refers to physical, mental, and health issues arising from external risk factors such as various accidents, disasters, and intoxications, excluding diseases. Approximately 2.88 million people experience damage annually in the country, with deaths due to damage ranking as the fourth leading cause of death, making it a significant public health issue.
Until now, in the country, causes of damage such as traffic accidents, disasters, intoxication incidents, and violence have been managed through separate laws from an incident viewpoint. There have been ongoing calls for a policy approach to integrate the prevention and management of damage as a public health issue and for a national integration management system.
Accordingly, the government decided to approach damage not as an 'accidental incident' but as a 'preventable health issue.' On January 23 of last year, it enacted the Damage Prevention Law to establish a national damage prevention and management system in collaboration with central administrative agencies, local governments, and experts in various fields.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency will become the lead agency for damage prevention and management under the Damage Prevention Law, which will be enforced from the 24th of this month. It will be responsible for establishing a national damage prevention and management system and systematically collecting and analyzing information on damage occurrence, treatment, and rehabilitation.
Additionally, it will set national basic goals and directions for damage prevention and management, providing management and support so that each central administrative agency and local government can effectively establish and implement policies related to damage prevention and management.
This year, a 'National Damage Management Committee' will also be formed, comprising eight government ministries related to major damage areas (Ministry of Education, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Employment and Labor, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, National Fire Agency, and Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency) along with experts in damage-related fields. The chairperson will be Jeong Mi-ki of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.
The committee will deliberate on major matters related to the implementation of national damage prevention and management policies, such as the national damage management system and the establishment of comprehensive management plans. In the third quarter of this year, it will announce the '1st Comprehensive Damage Management Plan ('26~'30),' which will enable each agency, including local governments, to implement systematic damage prevention and management policies according to national goals starting from 2026. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency plans to hold public hearings on the comprehensive plan in the first half of this year to gather opinions from various sectors.
A central damage management center will also be newly established to conduct legal projects such as researching risk factors and technologies for damage prevention and management, collecting and analyzing information and statistics related to damage, educating and promoting damage prevention, and training specialized personnel in damage prevention. The government aims to establish local damage management centers in 17 cities and provinces by 2026.
Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency Director Jeong Mi-ki said, 'With the enforcement of the Damage Prevention Law, the agency now has a legal and institutional foundation to prevent and manage not just infectious diseases, chronic diseases, and rare and intractable diseases but also damage from accidents, disasters, and intoxications at the national level,' adding that 'the agency will leverage the enactment of the Damage Prevention Law to reduce personal suffering and social burdens caused by damage, contributing to the promotion of public health.'