Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Ho-jung said on the 2nd, "As of today, we are raising the storm and flood disaster crisis alert to the 'caution' level," adding, "Together with the newly launched ninth popularly elected local governments, relevant central administrative agencies, and public institutions, we will mount an all-out response with the goal of minimizing casualties."
The Minister said this while presiding over the "comprehensive inspection meeting on summer disaster and safety measures" at the Government Sejong Complex on the afternoon of the same day.
The Minister said, "The monsoon season began this week," adding, "Although the rainy season started somewhat later than usual, as last year, some regions are expected to see torrential downpours while other regions are likely to suffer from intense heat."
He added, "When the monsoon ends, the full vacation season begins, making this a grave period when we cannot neglect even one area, including water safety management for rivers, valleys, and beaches."
The Minister said, "To back up local governments, we will fully support the personnel and finances needed on the ground and will provide clear rewards when excellent results are achieved," adding, "On the other hand, if accidents that could have been sufficiently prevented are repeated due to lax management or complacent responses, we will strictly hold those responsible to account."
The Minister also said, "We will focus on managing the three major types of causes of casualties from storm and flood disasters—landslides, river disasters, and flooding of underground spaces," adding, "We will mobilize all available resources to deliver information swiftly to the public and strengthen the on-site operability of resident evacuation systems." Up to last year, over the past 10 years, storm and flood disasters caused a total of 199 casualties. Among them, landslides accounted for the most with 85, followed by river disasters (64) and flooding of underground spaces (37).
He also said the government would leave no gaps in protecting those vulnerable to heat waves and in summer water safety. The Minister said, "Beyond checking on the well-being of vulnerable groups such as seniors and residents of jjokbangchon (single-room communities), we will strengthen practical support such as cooling supplies, and at business sites such as construction sites, we will more rigorously supervise whether safety rules are being properly observed."
He added, "We will deploy sufficient safety management personnel to major water recreation areas such as rivers, valleys, and beaches and expand safety facilities," and "We will tighten access control to hazardous areas and, in cases of violations of evacuation orders, respond strictly under a zero-tolerance principle to block safety accidents in advance."