Minister Jeon Hae-cheol Presides Over the 4th Central-Local Policy Council Held via Video Conference
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 1st that it held the 4th Central-Local Policy Council of 2021 via video conference, chaired by Minister Jeon Hae-cheol, with participation from related ministries, vice heads of 17 cities and provinces, and vice superintendents of education. This meeting was organized to strengthen the on-site implementation of the ‘Measures to Strengthen the Child Abuse Response System,’ to prevent and respond to school violence incidents at seodang-type boarding schools (Gyeongnam Cheonghakdong Seodang), and to request cooperation from local governments regarding anti-corruption and integrity innovation.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare checked the implementation status related to the rapid deployment of dedicated personnel for child abuse in local governments and related agencies, the establishment of the immediate separation system, and the expansion of protection infrastructure through this central-local policy council. They also urged attention and support to ensure no gaps occur in the prompt installation and operation of shelters and temporary protection facilities for victimized children, investigations and decisions within seven days after immediate separation (return to original family, protective measures, etc.), and support for the treatment and recovery of children.
The National Police Agency requested local governments to establish a system linking abuse prevention police officers and dedicated officials for joint on-site dispatch, as well as victim protection facilities such as shelters and medical institutions. The Ministry of Education requested the establishment of school violence prevention and countermeasure implementation plans by city and province for this year, based on the results of the 17th School Violence Countermeasure Committee held in April, and measures to strengthen responses to increased student cyber violence due to COVID-19. Furthermore, they asked for active cooperation with metropolitan and provincial offices of education during the investigation of recent violent acts and operational status at seodang-type boarding educational facilities, and to take appropriate follow-up actions based on the investigation results.
The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission requested active cooperation from local governments for on-site implementation of the ‘Top 10 Tasks for Anti-Corruption and Integrity Innovation for Public Officials,’ established to eradicate corrupt practices stemming from real estate speculation by public officials in public enterprises such as LH and local government officials. In particular, they emphasized strengthening cooperation for signing memorandums of understanding (MOUs) to support anti-corruption collaboration and innovation in local governments, and for inspections of recruitment irregularities planned for the second half of the year targeting local governments and local public corporations and agencies.
Minister Jeon Hae-cheol stated, “We continue efforts to strengthen on-site response capabilities such as expanding training for dedicated personnel and increasing shelters and temporary protection facilities, as well as expanding protection infrastructure,” adding, “The government, local governments, and offices of education will actively cooperate to ensure child abuse is eradicated and will continue to monitor this going forward.”
He continued, “As the risk of cyber violence has rather increased due to the spread of COVID-19, each city, province, and office of education should pay special attention and do their best to create a safe educational environment by preventing school violence and supporting victim recovery,” emphasizing, “We will actively promote anti-corruption and integrity innovation to enhance the effectiveness of the Conflict of Interest Prevention Act and restore public trust in public officials, and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety will take the lead in reforming the public service as the main ministry for government innovation.”
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