Jeon Nam-do Councilor Kang Jeong-hee Emphasizes Comprehensive Implementation of the 'Minsik Law' Without Blind Spots

Detailed Planning and Prompt Implementation... Minimizing Child Accidents Is Essential

Kang Jeong-hee, Jeonnam Provincial Assembly Member

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Chunsu] Although the Minsik Law was enacted on the 25th, there are still criticisms that facilities and publicity in line with the related law are insufficient at the frontline sites.

On the 30th, Kang Jeonghee, a member of the Jeonnam Provincial Assembly, announced that with the enactment of the so-called 'Minsik Law' on the 25th, she demanded the installation of facilities such as speed bumps in school zones and the implementation of improvement measures by the relevant authorities to reduce the rate of children's traffic accidents.

The related bills are the revised 'Road Traffic Act,' which mandates the installation of traffic lights, speed enforcement cameras, speed bumps, and traffic lights within children's protection zones, and the 'Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes,' which strengthens penalties for traffic accidents within children's protection zones.

According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's report on the management status of children's commuting routes, there are only 820 unmanned traffic enforcement devices nationwide in children's protection zones, accounting for just 4.9%. Among elementary schools, 1,830 locations have roads without sidewalks, making up 30%, and 281 locations with 4,354 illegal roadside parking spaces are operating within protection zones.

According to data from the National Police Agency, as of 2017, Jeonnam had the highest traffic accident death rate among children per 100,000 nationwide, about 3.6 deaths, but only about 1% of children's protection zones had enforcement devices installed.

Assembly member Kang Jeonghee said, "Creating an environment in line with the law's enactment is urgent, but the relevant provincial departments have only committed to completing the demand survey for improvement project sites by October this year, and have not even completed detailed planning or a full survey of facilities." She added, "It is necessary to promptly complete a full survey of safety facilities in children's protection zones in the province, establish installation plans, and implement supplementary measures such as installing buffer zones to prevent sudden acceleration or deceleration at the boundaries of protection zones."

She continued, "Strengthening traffic safety education for drivers and children, promoting protection zones, and raising public awareness are urgently needed," emphasizing, "In this regard, early establishment of the 'Safe Speed 5030' policy scheduled for implementation in April next year by the police and the rapid activation of the 'Local Traffic Safety Council' involving both public and private sectors are necessary."

Furthermore, she added, "Along with exploring effective utilization plans related to children's protection zones at the Gangjin Safety Education Comprehensive Experience Center, all administrative enforcement efforts should be mobilized to crack down on illegal acts such as illegal parking, aiming to achieve zero child traffic accident deaths within children's protection zones and eliminate blind spots of the law."

Meanwhile, Jeonnam Province plans to invest about 17.9 billion won in the '2020 Children's Protection Zone Improvement Project' in line with the law's enactment. The project is divided into five parts: 'Improvement of safety facilities in protection zones (installation of safety fences, etc.),' 'Installation of speed and signal violation enforcement cameras,' 'Installation of crosswalk traffic lights,' 'Marking of no parking zones in protection areas,' and 'Installation of yellow traffic lights,' with details currently under discussion.