The Democratic Party is investigating the cause of the false alarm for the Seoul city boundary alert... "In disaster management, it's better to be excessive than insufficient"

Seoul City Issues Emergency Disaster Alert, Ministry of the Interior "False Alarm" Controversy
Park Dae-chul "Security Is a Matter of Life and Death for the People... No Such Thing as Overdoing It"

The People Power Party defended Seoul City's issuance of a warning alert following the launch of an object presumed to be a North Korean space launch vehicle, stating that even if it was an overreaction, it is "better to be excessive" in terms of disaster management and security.

On the morning of the 31st, Park Dae-chul, the Policy Committee Chair of the People Power Party, told reporters, "We need to look into the details, but I believe that when it comes to national security, it can never be too much," emphasizing, "The important thing is the safety and lives of the people."

Park added, "Security is directly related to protecting our country and the life-or-death matters of our people," and said, "We will investigate the circumstances."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the same day at 6:41 a.m., after the news of North Korea's launch became known, Seoul City issued a warning alert. Seoul City sent an emergency disaster text message stating, "At 6:32 a.m. today, a warning alert was issued for the Seoul area. Citizens are advised to prepare for evacuation, and please ensure that children and the elderly can evacuate first." However, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety subsequently sent a message saying, "The warning alert issued by Seoul City was a false alarm," which sparked controversy.

The Democratic Party criticized Seoul City's warning alert as a 'bureaucratic disaster' due to it being a false alarm. Kim Han-gyu, the chief spokesperson for the Democratic Party, wrote on his Facebook, "They gave us a disaster text as a morning call from the morning, then suddenly said it was not true," pointing out, "The disaster text did not even include why it was a disaster or where to evacuate." Kim criticized, "This amateurish administration is the disaster. The Yoon Seok-yeol government and Oh Se-hoon’s Seoul City are no different."

In response, Yoo Sang-bum, the chief spokesperson for the People Power Party, said, "I think the Ministry of the Interior and Safety will look into the process regarding the false alarm issued by Seoul City," but countered, "When it comes to disasters, a little excess is much better than a shortage."