Earthquake and Crushing Accident... Yoon Holds Consecutive Emergency Meetings for Inspection

-Yoon Issues Consecutive Emergency Orders Following Itaewon Accident... Plans to Preside Over Accident Response Headquarters Meeting After Midnight
-Previously Directed Special Measures to Prevent Secondary Accidents in Chungbuk Goesan-gun Earthquake and Gyeongbuk Bonghwa Burial Incident

President Yoon Suk-yeol is inspecting the situation on-site during the emergency situation briefing meeting on the Itaewon Halloween casualty incident held at the National Crisis Management Center in the Yongsan Presidential Office building, Seoul, on the morning of the 30th. /

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The presidential office is moving swiftly in response to a series of large-scale disasters that occurred over the weekend, including an earthquake and a crush accident. On the night of the 29th, as tens of thousands of people gathered all at once in the Itaewon-dong area of Yongsan-gu, Seoul, ahead of Halloween, a massive crush tragedy occurred. President Yoon Suk-yeol held consecutive emergency meetings overnight at the Yongsan Presidential Office and the Government Seoul Office to review the accident situation and response measures. Regarding the earthquake that occurred in Goesan-gun, Chungbuk Province, President Yoon instructed all related ministries, led by the Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, to promptly assess the damage. The government also took action to prevent further accidents by quickly sending disaster alert messages to the public.

At around 2:30 a.m. on the 30th, President Yoon held an emergency situation review meeting with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, and others at the situation room of the Government Seoul Office in Gwanghwamun, where the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) was activated. At this meeting, President Yoon ordered the immediate activation of an accident response headquarters headed by Prime Minister Han and instructed Minister Lee to begin preparations for recovery, including identifying the deceased and conducting a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident.

In particular, he gave specific instructions to related ministries to "proceed with the rapid identification of the deceased for the families who are still anxiously waiting for contact at this time." President Yoon plans to preside over a meeting of the accident response headquarters once a comprehensive damage assessment is available later that day.

Earlier, at around 1 a.m., President Yoon presided over an emergency situation review meeting at the Crisis Management Center of the Yongsan Presidential Office building. He emphasized, "The top priority now is patient transport and relief, as well as the swift transfer and treatment of affected citizens to medical institutions," and ordered, "Secure ambulance routes and immediately implement necessary measures such as traffic control."

The previous night, after receiving reports on the accident, President Yoon issued two rounds of urgent directives to related ministries. In the first directive announced to the media at 11:36 p.m., he urged, "Ensure thorough measures so that rapid emergency care and treatment can be provided." Forty minutes later, in the second directive, he instructed, "The Ministry of Health and Welfare must quickly activate the emergency medical system, dispatch emergency medical teams (DMAT), and promptly secure emergency beds at nearby hospitals."

Regarding the magnitude 4.1 earthquake that occurred 11 km northeast of Goesan-gun, Chungbuk Province, President Yoon had already conveyed, "All related ministries, led by the Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, must promptly assess earthquake damage." Upon receiving a report on the activation of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, President Yoon said, "Immediately inspect for abnormalities in social infrastructure such as electricity and telecommunications, and since citizens may feel anxious about aftershocks, promptly and thoroughly disseminate information related to future earthquake occurrences and safety guidelines."

On this day, the government's emergency disaster text messages were also delivered quickly. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the magnitude 4.1 earthquake in Goesan-gun occurred at 8:27:49 a.m., and emergency disaster messages were sent to all citizens' mobile phones within 28 seconds after the earthquake. Prior to the magnitude 4.1 earthquake, a magnitude 3.5 earthquake in the same area also triggered an automatic earthquake alert, and disaster messages were sent to cities and provinces within an 80 km radius of the epicenter. The magnitude 3.5 earthquake was first detected at 8:27:36 a.m., just 3 seconds after it occurred (8:27:33 a.m.), and an alert stating "estimated magnitude 3.5" was sent 13 seconds later at 8:27:49 a.m.

President Yoon also issued instructions the previous day regarding the accident in which two workers were trapped due to a mine collapse at the zinc mine in Bonghwa, Gyeongbuk Province. He directed, "The Fire Department and related agencies should deploy all available personnel and resources to do their utmost in the rescue efforts." Through Facebook, President Yoon expressed, "It is heartbreaking that workplaces where people work for their livelihoods have turned into a matter of life and death," and added, "I am deeply saddened by the recent tragic news involving hardworking individuals such as bakers in their 20s, construction workers in their 50s, and foreign workers."

On this day, President Yoon also reiterated his commitment to 'reducing major industrial accidents.' He explained, "We will accurately identify the causes of accidents and prepare practical industrial accident prevention measures that can be implemented on site," and added, "The government is preparing a 'Major Accident Reduction Roadmap' to create a Republic of Korea where everyone can work with peace of mind."