The Pan-Government Promotes 'Measures to Improve Disaster Management System in Response to Climate Change'

Announcement of 5 Major Strategies to Prevent Heavy Rain Damage

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 2nd that it will promote the 'Measures to Improve the Disaster Management System in Response to Climate Change' jointly with related ministries to respond to the unprecedented frequent occurrences of localized and concentrated extreme weather events, the expansion of disaster scale, and the diversification of disaster patterns due to climate change.

To establish these measures, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety formed and operated the 'Inter-Ministerial Task Force for Improving the Disaster Management System in Response to Climate Change' (Task Force) together with 12 organizations including the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Korea Forest Service, and Korea Meteorological Administration since the end of August last year.

First, to improve the accuracy of weather and flood forecasts, the system will be advanced and information on disaster risk areas will be linked to strengthen inspection and management. To this end, ▲ expansion of meteorological observation equipment for monitoring hazardous weather conditions, development of numerical forecasting technology to improve the accuracy of localized heavy rain forecasts ▲ establishment and supplementation of a flood forecasting system covering main and tributary rivers using artificial intelligence (AI), construction of flood inundation maps and urban flooding maps ▲ establishment of a water level monitoring system for the rapid evacuation of residents near small rivers linked with national and local river flood forecasts ▲ proactive provision of landslide prediction information* and construction of real-time landslide risk maps that reflect changes in risk levels due to heavy rain ▲ expansion of management areas such as steep slopes and landslide-prone areas (artificial development sites) to strengthen inspection and management, and linkage and integration of slope information operated by each institution are planned.

Additionally, considering climate change, disaster prevention infrastructure such as deep stormwater tunnels will be expanded, and disaster resilience performance targets* and design standards for facilities will be raised and linked to prepare for extreme climate conditions. Along with this, the actual conditions of houses vulnerable to disasters such as flooding (semi-basements, etc.) and underground spaces will be investigated to improve related systems such as residential upgrading support and installation support for flood prevention facilities.

Next, a rapid disaster response system will be established through strengthening disaster information sharing, organizing evacuation and emergency rescue systems, and updating manuals and action guidelines. Furthermore, government support for disaster-vulnerable areas and economically vulnerable groups will be solidified, and recovery support will be strengthened through institutional improvements in disaster-related insurance.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety will include the detailed tasks of the 'Measures to Improve the Disaster Management System in Response to Climate Change' as part of the comprehensive plan to reform the national safety system prepared in the wake of the Itaewon tragedy, and will continuously monitor implementation such as legal amendments and budget reflection.

Minister of the Interior and Safety Sangmin Lee stated, “To minimize natural disasters caused by climate change, we will strengthen predictive and preventive capabilities using digital technologies and establish a disaster management system that operates effectively on the ground through enhanced information sharing.”